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» Non-Registered Users |
You are seeing this module because you are showing as an unregistered user - have you forgotten to log in?
As an unregistered user, you may view and post in the general forums (where applicable); however all posts you make are "moderated" (i.e. placed into a moderation queue to be approved) before they are visible on the site. Please, therefore, refrain from posting duplicate posts as these will simply be deleted.
This also applies to those of you that have registered, but have not yet validated your email address. Please check your email inbox for an email that was sent by this site, and either click on the link provided therein, or copy and paste the link into your browser address bar. Until such time as you have verified your registration, you will have the same privileges as an unregistered user.
If you have not received your confirmation/validation email, please use our Contact Us form to request us to resend your validation details.
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| How did you get my email address? |
We cannot tell you where the information came from. In order to protect our informants, we are never told anything that would put the person giving us the information at risk. When we receive the information, we would be told your email address, possibly your name, the name of the scammer, and the type of scam he is using, but we don't always get all that information. Sometimes we might only have your email address and nothing else. Sometimes we may be given a contact telephone number for you, or an address. We warn through e-mail, telephone or sometimes regular mail.
If you are wondering whether a warning from us is genuine, you can post it on our forum. It is possible that scammers will try to impersonate us claiming they can recover money lost to fraud. As opposed to the scammers however, no-one from FraudWatchers.org will ever ask anyone for money.
Most of our email warnings are sent from a @fraudwatchers.org address, and all will contain a link to this website
http://www.fraudwatchers.org On occasion, you may receive an email that does not come from a fraudwatchers.org email account due to technical issues beyond our control and to make sure these are legitimate please post them in
here to make sure the warning is genuine. You can make a new post and copy and paste the warning into it. We will always confirm whether both the email and the sender are legitimate. There are other victim support websites on the internet that also send out warnings, and they may provide a link to us. Warning emails from other victim support sites will always give their website address and details on the emails. You should contact them directly to verify their legitimacy. |
| How did you know I was communicating with this scammer? |
We receive information about potential scam victims from several different sources, and we warn through e-mail, telephone or sometimes regular mail. We can not and will not reveal any details about these sources. In order to protect our informants, we are never told anything that would put the person giving us the information at risk. When we receive the information, we would be told your email address, possibly your name, the name of the scammer, and the type of scam he is using, but we don't always get all that information. Sometimes we might only have your email address and nothing else. Sometimes we may be given a contact telephone number for you, or an address. We warn through e-mail, telephone or sometimes regular mail.
If you are wondering whether a warning from us is genuine, you can post it on our forum. It is possible that scammers will try to impersonate us claiming they can recover money lost to fraud. As opposed to the scammers however, no-one from FraudWatchers.org will ever ask anyone for money.
Most of our email warnings are sent from a @fraudwatchers.org address, and all will contain a link to this website
http://www.fraudwatchers.org On occasion, you may receive an email that does not come from a fraudwatchers.org email account due to technical issues beyond our control and to make sure these are legitimate please post them in
here to make sure the warning is genuine. You can make a new post and copy and paste the warning into it. We will always confirm whether both the email and the sender are legitimate. There are other victim support websites on the internet that also send out warnings, and they may provide a link to us. Warning emails from other victim support sites will always give their website address and details on the emails. You should contact them directly to verify their legitimacy. |
| How did you find out about me being involved in this transaction? |
We receive information about potential scam victims from several different sources, and we warn through e-mail, telephone or sometimes regular mail. We can not and will not reveal any details about these sources. In order to protect our informants, we are never told anything that would put the person giving us the information at risk. When we receive the information, we would be told your email address, possibly your name, the name of the scammer, and the type of scam he is using, but we don't always get all that information. Sometimes we might only have your email address and nothing else. Sometimes we may be given a contact telephone number for you, or an address. We warn through e-mail, telephone or sometimes regular mail.
If you are wondering whether a warning from us is genuine, you can post it on our forum. It is possible that scammers will try to impersonate us claiming they can recover money lost to fraud. As opposed to the scammers however, no-one from FraudWatchers.org will ever ask anyone for money.
Most of our email warnings are sent from a @fraudwatchers.org address, and all will contain a link to this website
http://www.fraudwatchers.org On occasion, you may receive an email that does not come from a fraudwatchers.org email account due to technical issues beyond our control and to make sure these are legitimate please post them in
here to make sure the warning is genuine. You can make a new post and copy and paste the warning into it. We will always confirm whether both the email and the sender are legitimate. There are other victim support websites on the internet that also send out warnings, and they may provide a link to us. Warning emails from other victim support sites will always give their website address and details on the emails. You should contact them directly to verify their legitimacy. |
| How did the scammers get my email address? |
The criminals use various means of finding email addresses that are published openly on the internet. Guestbooks is one source they use. You can do a Google search on your email address, and if you find it displayed somewhere, that's probably where the spammers got it from. Scammers use google and also email extractor tools to get email addresses.
They also trade lists of email addresses with each other and within their gangs, and once you are on one of those, you will continue receiving emails from scammers. If you do not want to receive scam emails to your email address, be very careful where you publish it, and only give it out to people you know. You may want to consider making a private email address that you only give to friends and family. |
| How should I reply to the scammer when he sends me an email? |
We ask you to cease corresponding with the scammer. It is not in your best interests to continue to communicate with these criminals. If you provide the warner who emailed you originally with any email addresses these scammers have contacted you from, we will pass information on to law enforcement and they will deal with the scammer(s) appropriately.
You may be in danger if you have given them any real details, such as name, address, telephone, bank account information, scans of identification, used an unsafe email address which shows your IP address and therefore your location or anything that can be used to identify you. |
| How do I get the scammer to stop contacting me? |
If they continue to contact you please ignore their emails, and if they call simply tell them you know it is a scam and have gone to the authorities. They will stop emailing you when they realise you are not responding, though it can sometimes take 3 or 4 emails from them to realise you are not responding. DO NOT email them again, especially if they have your real name or details.
That could be dangerous as they may have scammer friends in your area and victims have had scammers arrive on their doorstep before. Your life is not worth the risk. If you provide the warner who emailed you originally with any email addresses these scammers have contacted you from, and any emails you received from the scammers, we can post a warning here on our site in the hope of preventing others from being scammed. |
| How can you be 100% sure that this is a scam? |
We realise you want to believe in the money. An amount like that would change your life, and those around you. We've often seen people saying "If there's a 99% chance that I'm being lied to, the 1% left over is still good odds. I'm prepared to pay a few hundred, for the chance of millions." But the odds aren't 99%. Or even 99.9%.
We ARE 100% sure. And it won't be a few hundred that you can afford to lose, that's nothing but the first hook. After you've paid that, there'll be more fees to pay, and you'll be less willing to walk away from your "investment." That's what they're counting on, and we've seen people sell their entire lives this way.
Once you are out of money and exhausted your financial resources, they may arrange a "loan" for you. It will be a cheque that seems to clear into your bank account. $10,000, $15,000, $25,000... whatever they think they can get away with. Once it's cleared you withdraw it and wire them the cash. A month down the line, you get a call from the bank. The cheque was a fake. They want the money repaid and they want it right away. Think about that. No savings - they have them all. No way to borrow - you're in as far as you can get. You're ruined. Not because you were greedy or foolish, but because you didn't know people like that existed. And because you tried to calculate the odds without realizing that the game was rigged. Please, trust us when we say that this is not a chance you want to take. |
| How can I stay safe on the internet and not get scammed? |
Here are some simple tips to help you keep safe on the internet.
1. Do not use online banking.
2. Do not reply to emails that come from people you don't know. EVER.
3. Keep your email address to yourself, only give it to trusted friends and family.
4. Choose an email address with a combination of letters, numbers and punctuation marks to make it harder for spammers to guess - eg joe.bloggs4589@emailprovider.com or even jo3b1ogg5@emailprovider.com.
5. NEVER sign a guestbook on the internet with your real email address.
6. Don't click on links in email. EVER. Even if the email comes from someone you know.
7. Don't open attachments. EVER.
8. Be suspicious of any offer that sounds too good to be true.
9. Do not respond to 'chain-mail' that encourages you to "forward this email to 10 of your friends". This type of email exposes your email address, and that of your friends, to unknown people further down the chain. |
| How can I help fight these scammers? |
If you have lost money, we do recommend that you report your loss to the local police at the very least. They need to file a report - you are in danger of identity theft if you have given them any real details, such as name, address, telephone, bank account information, scans of identification, used an unsafe email address which shows your IP address and therefore your location or anything that can be used to identify you. Also, the more people who report these crimes, the more likely law enforcement will begin to act on these crimes.
You can be of assistance. The only way to stop these scammers is to educate people about them. Tell your friends, tell your family, tell as many people as you can about these kinds of scams. Tell them that no money is ever going to come to them as a surprise in their email box. Tell them that checks can bounce up to a year later even if the bank says they have cleared, and they will have to pay back the money if that happens, and could even be arrested. Point them to our website here, and tell as many people as you can.
You can also add your voice to our forums, and become a part of our community here. |
| I sent the scammers money, can you help me get it back? |
We are sorry but this is virtually impossible. If you have lost a large amount of money (approximately over US$100,000 or equivalent in your currency), and especially if you have sent money to a "real" bank account, it may be worth contacting the police, and they should try to help you. If you have lost any amount of money, no matter how small, we would still advise you to contact your local Law Enforcement Office, even if there isn't much they can or are willing to do. The more attention these scams get, the more likely it is that law enforcement will start doing what they can to stop them.
Be very wary of anyone who says they can recover your money. It may be the same scammer hoping to get some more funds out of you. There are companies around who claim they can get your money back but they do charge you fees and generally have little success. Your money is gone. We would love to be able to get it back for you, but there is no way to do it. We are thankful that you are still alive, as victims have lost their lives before due to these scams. Money can be replaced. |
| I sent money via Western Union or Moneygram and I just checked, the scammer has not collected the funds yet. What should I do? |
| IMMEDIATELY contact the company involved and ask them to stop the transfer. There is a chance you can get your money back if you do this before the scammer picks up the money. You can find the numbers for Western Union click here and Moneygram click here. |
| I sent money via Western Union or Moneygram but the scammer has collected the funds, can't I get it back anyway? |
| Once the scammer has picked up the money, there is no way you will get it back. We are sorry for your loss, but that money is gone for good. We are thankful that you are still alive, as victims have lost their lives before due to these scams. Money can be replaced. |
| I sent my bank details and address, what should I do? |
| Contact your bank immediately. |
| I sent them my personal information/scan of my passport, what can they do with it? |
They will probably use these to try to scam others by using your name and details. In most cases, this will not affect you directly in any way, since it is rare that the details used are taken further to commit serious crimes.
However, the details received could also be used for other types of identity theft which can cause a lot of problems for you, but most 419 scammers rarely have any of the additional knowledge required to make this happen. We do recommend, just to be on the safe side, that you attend your local police station and make a police report. |
| I sent them my credit card number, what should I do? |
| Contact your bank - or the local emergency number (usually found in your local phone directory) for Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Diners, or whatever brand of credit card you have. Check your monthly statement and you will find the numbers somewhere on it. |
| I was just having fun with these scammers, it's not dangerous, is it? |
The scammers can be highly dangerous and are known to have murdered several victims - see our news section. Even if you believe that they are writing from the opposite side of the World it is likely that they have associates living in your country, perhaps even your city. People who thought that they were having fun with the scammers have had them turn up at their own front door.
It is possible to have fun with the scammers, but you must not give them any information that could be traced back to you such as a name, address, phone number or even an e-mail address. By using any real information that can be linked to you personally, you are placing yourself in danger. If you are interested in playing with these scammers safely, take a look one of the following sites:
* The ScamBaits Community
* The Scam Baiter
* Scamorama |
| The scammer sent me his identification - passport, ID card. Are you saying these are not real? |
| The scammers will often send out 'proof' of identity to their victims in order to gain their trust. Sometimes the documents are easily recognisable poor quality fakes but sometimes they are copies of genuine documents. These may either be copies of stolen documents or they may be copies of documents sent to the scammers by previous victims. It is very common for scammers to adopt the name of previous victims in their scams. |
| I have a scammer sending me an amount of money. What will I get? |
| The scammer will not be sending you any money. You may receive a cheque or a banker's draft from the scammers but these will either be fake or stolen. The money that they claim to have does not exist. |
| The scammer called me and said he has arrived in (my country) and has to pay a fee to customs and he wants me to pay the fee. What should I do? |
If you have given the scammer your phone number and he keeps on calling you should say -
1. "a friend" told you it is a scam (never let them know the information came from us as that could put our informants in danger) and/or you are no longer interested in continuing the deal.
2. That you have been in contact with the police (generally this will cause the scammer to hang up right away)
3. If he calls again, hang up the phone as soon as you know it is him.
In most cases the scammer will give up fairly quickly - scammers have no interest in chasing people who are not going to send them money. If the scammer keeps calling then consider making use of Caller ID. Most mobile phones will display the number of the caller allowing you to choose whether or not to answer the call. Landlines can also have this feature, but you may have to pay extra and buy a new telephone. |
| The scammer sent me a document via email. What do I do with it? |
You can submit it to us by sending it to  and we will add it to our large archive of fake documents sent out by scammers. Please do not expect a reply from these submissions as the above address processes incoming mail automatically. |
| The scammer sent me to a website to open a bank account and put funds into it, what now? |
| Do NOT put any funds into that account. The bank that they referred you to, while it may appear to be official, does not exist. The bank is more than likely run by associates of the scammer and any funds "deposited" in the bank will go straight to them. You can find more information on fake banks and fake websites at this thread on our forums. |
| The scammer sent me a check, what now? |
A very common scam is for a scammer to send their victim a check for goods bought on the internet, or to send these to someone met on a dating site. When these relate to goods, the checks are usually made out for more than the selling price of the goods and the scammer concocts some story or other and asks the seller to send the difference in value to an associate. Sometimes they may give a reason for cancelling the deal, and ask you to refund the whole amount of the check they sent. If it was sent to someone met on a dating site, the scammer asks that they clear the check through their bank account and send on the money to a third party.
In all cases when a scammer sends a check, money order or any other form of negotiable bond these are forged. The scammer relies on the fact that banks will show the checks to be cleared and credit money to the victim's account when in actual fact they have only passed a local inspection and it can take weeks or months before the check bounces.
This means that the victim notices the check has apparently cleared, sends the goods and forwards the money. When the bank finally realises that the check is forged, the victim is required to pay back the amount of the check to the bank and can and will face criminal charges for forgery. Some victims of this crime have even been sent to jail as accomplices in fraud.
If a scammer has sent you such a check, money order or bond. Do not attempt to cash this but take it to your local law enforcement agency with a printout of the e-mails which have passed between you and the scammer and report the matter. Please do not keep the check, it is an offence in both the USA and the UK and may be in other countries, to have in your possession such a forgery.
If you have already received such a check and have already cashed it. As well as reporting it to the police, contact your bank immediately and inform them you think you have been defrauded. If you do, the bank should be willing to come to an arrangement for paying back any money you have already spent. |
| The scammer sent me a cheque, what now? |
A very common scam is for a scammer to send their victim a cheque for goods bought on the internet, or to send these to someone met on a dating site. When these relate to goods, the cheques are usually made out for more than the selling price of the goods and the scammer concocts some story or other and asks the seller to send the difference in value to an associate. Sometimes they may give a reason for cancelling the deal, and ask you to refund the whole amount of the cheque they sent. If it was sent to someone met on a dating site, the scammer asks that they clear the cheque through their bank account and send on the money to a third party.
In all cases when a scammer sends a cheque, money order or any other form of negotiable bond these are forged. The scammer relies on the fact that banks will show the cheques to be cleared and credit money to the victim's account when in actual fact they have only passed a local inspection and it can take weeks or months before the cheque bounces.
This means that the victim notices the cheque has apparently cleared, sends the goods and forwards the money. When the bank finally realises that the cheque is forged, the victim is required to pay back the amount of the cheque to the bank and can and will face criminal charges for forgery. Some victims of this crime have even been sent to jail as accomplices in fraud.
If a scammer has sent you such a cheque, money order or bond. Do not attempt to cash this but take it to your local law enforcement agency with a printout of the e-mails which have passed between you and the scammer and report the matter. Please do not keep the cheque, it is an offence in both the USA and the UK and may be in other countries, to have in your possession such a forgery.
If you have already received such a cheque and have already cashed it. As well as reporting it to the police, contact your bank immediately and inform them you think you have been defrauded. If you do, the bank should be willing to come to an arrangement for paying back any money you have already spent. |
| The scammer sent me a money order, what now? |
A very common scam is for a scammer to send their victim a money order for goods bought on the internet, or to send these to someone met on a dating site. When these relate to goods, the money orders are usually made out for more than the selling price of the goods and the scammer concocts some story or other and asks the seller to send the difference in value to an associate. Sometimes they may give a reason for cancelling the deal, and ask you to refund the whole amount of the money order they sent. If it was sent to someone met on a dating site, the scammer asks that they clear the money order through their bank account and send on the money to a third party.
In all cases when a scammer sends a money order, check/cheque or any other form of negotiable bond these are forged. The scammer relies on the fact that banks will show the money orders to be cleared and credit money to the victim's account when in actual fact they have only passed a local inspection and it can take weeks or months before the money order bounces.
This means that the victim notices the money order has apparently cleared, sends the goods and forwards the money. When the bank finally realises that the money order is forged, the victim is required to pay back the amount of the money order to the bank and can and will face criminal charges for forgery. Some victims of this crime have even been sent to jail as accomplices in fraud.
If a scammer has sent you such a money order, check/cheque or bond. Do not attempt to cash this but take it to your local law enforcement agency with a printout of the e-mails which have passed between you and the scammer and report the matter. Please do not keep the money order, it is an offence in both the USA and the UK and may be in other countries, to have in your possession such a forgery.
If you have already received such a money order and have already cashed it. As well as reporting it to the police, contact your bank immediately and inform them you think you have been defrauded. If you do, the bank should be willing to come to an arrangement for paying back any money you have already spent. |
| The scammer sent me a bank draft, what now? |
A very common scam is for a scammer to send their victim a bank draft for goods bought on the internet, or to send these to someone met on a dating site. When these relate to goods, the bank drafts are usually made out for more than the selling price of the goods and the scammer concocts some story or other and asks the seller to send the difference in value to an associate. Sometimes they may give a reason for cancelling the deal, and ask you to refund the whole amount of the bank draft they sent. If it was sent to someone met on a dating site, the scammer asks that they clear the bank draft through their bank account and send on the money to a third party.
In all cases when a scammer sends a bank draft, check/cheque or any other form of negotiable bond these are forged. The scammer relies on the fact that banks will show the bank drafts to be cleared and credit money to the victim's account when in actual fact they have only passed a local inspection and it can take weeks or months before the bank draft bounces.
This means that the victim notices the bank draft has apparently cleared, sends the goods and forwards the money. When the bank finally realises that the bank draft is forged, the victim is required to pay back the amount of the bank draft to the bank and can and will face criminal charges for forgery. Some victims of this crime have even been sent to jail as accomplices in fraud.
If a scammer has sent you such a bank draft, check/cheque or money order. Do not attempt to cash this but take it to your local law enforcement agency with a printout of the e-mails which have passed between you and the scammer and report the matter. Please do not keep the bank draft, it is an offence in both the USA and the UK and may be in other countries, to have in your possession such a forgery.
If you have already received such a bank draft and have already cashed it. As well as reporting it to the police, contact your bank immediately and inform them you think you have been defrauded. If you do, the bank should be willing to come to an arrangement for paying back any money you have already spent. |
| The scammer sent a package to be forwarded to him, what now? |
Scammers are not only involved with fraud but also with other forms of crime, notably credit card fraud. Many scammers will have packages of goods purchased with stolen credit cards, sent to a victim and ask the victim to forward them to either the scammer or an accomplice. This scam is done for two reasons. Firstly the activities of the criminals have damaged the good name of many of the countries they operate from, making many businesses wary of sending goods to those countries, thus they seek an innocent intermediary to whom the goods will be sent. Secondly the victim in this case acts as a form of protection for the scammer in that the police will arrest the victim for credit card fraud and not worry too much about chasing the real criminal.
If you are asked to do this by a scammer and receive a package, do not open it or otherwise tamper with the contents but take it straight to the police with a printout of your e-mail exchanges with the scammer and explain to them what has happened. If you have already sent on such a package please do the same. The police will be sympathetic and helpful if the report of the crime comes from you and not the credit card company. |
| The scammer transferred money into my bank account, what now? |
Most scammers do not work in isolation but in highly organised gangs, often with international contacts. Some gangs have members in banks who can manipulate the bank's normal practices. It is not unknown for a scammer to 'pay' money into a victim's account to persuade that victim of their good intentions or to arrange a loan which is deposited into the bank account. There are two ways they can do this.
If the gang has an insider in the bank, he has temporarily altered the account to make it appear that money has been deposited when in actual fact none has.
If the gang does not have an insider in the bank, he may have had someone deposit a fake check/cheque/bank draft into your account, and so it looks like you have been paid money when you have not. The scammer relies on the fact that banks will show the cheques to be cleared and credit money to the victim's account when in actual fact they have only passed a local inspection and it can take weeks or months before the cheque bounces.
If this happens to you, do not attempt to withdraw any of the money but immediately report the matter to your bank. If you do try to withdraw any of these 'funds', you will end up having to pay the money back and may be investigated for fraud. |
| The scammer sent me to sign up for a bank account at a website and it says I have money in it? |
| The money that they claim you have does not exist and the website, even though it may seem like that of a real bank, is false. This is a tactic used by the scammers to try to build your confidence in their scheme and make you more willing to pay money to them. You can find more information on fake banks within our forums at this link. |
| The scammer has a telephone number that seems to be in the USA/UK, is that where they are located? |
The scammers make use of free call-forwarding services that divert a phone number from one country to another. A phone number in the UK may be diverted to Holland, America or even Nigeria. There is no way of telling where they are really located. If the number is a UK number of one of the following formats: +44703xxxxxx, +44704xxxxx, +44870xxxxx, they are more than likely NOT located in the UK.
These numbers are special telephone numbers known as "personal follow-me" numbers which can be redirected to any point in the world, in particular Nigeria and other countries that scammers use frequently. If the number is a US number (i.e. +1-xxx-xxx-xxxx), then it is possible that they may be located in either the United States or Canada. It is possible though much rarer for them to get a US number that redirects to a different location. |
| The scammer keeps trying to contact me, please tell me what to do? |
Do not reply to his emails NO MATTER WHAT the scammer says to you in them. If you ignore the emails he will eventually stop sending them. If you have given the scammer your phone number and he keeps on calling you should say -
1. "a friend" told you it is a scam (never let them know the information came from us as that could put our informants in danger)
2. That you have been in contact with the police (generally this will cause the scammer to hang up right away)
3. If he calls again, hang up the phone as soon as you know it is him.
In most cases the scammer will give up fairly quickly - scammers have no interest in chasing people who are not going to send them money. If the scammer keeps calling then consider making use of Caller ID. Most mobile phones will display the number of the caller allowing you to choose whether or not to answer the call. Landlines can also have this feature, but you may have to pay extra and buy a new telephone. |
| The scammer has my telephone number and keeps calling me, what can I do? |
If you have given the scammer your phone number and he keeps on calling you should say -
1. "a friend" told you it is a scam (never let them know the information came from us as that could put our informants in danger)
2. That you have been in contact with the police (generally this will cause the scammer to hang up right away)
3. If he calls again, hang up the phone as soon as you know it is him.
In most cases the scammer will give up fairly quickly - scammers have no interest in chasing people who are not going to send them money. If the scammer keeps calling then consider making use of Caller ID. Most mobile phones will display the number of the caller allowing you to choose whether or not to answer the call. Landlines can also have this feature, but you may have to pay extra and buy a new telephone.
In the UK British Telecom offer this service free of charge and a compatible phone can be bought for 20 UK Pounds. If you continue to receive the calls then BT has a dedicated helpline in the UK that can be contacted at any time on 0800 661 441. They can give you further advice, which may include changing your number. |
| Your warning did not mention the name of the scammer. Who is he? |
| We receive information on scams from a variety of sources. Sometimes we only receive the contact details and do not know the name being used by the scammer. One scammer may be using many different identities at any one time so it is not clear what name he will have given you. |
| People don't really send money to these scammers, do they? |
| Yes they do. Sometimes they send them their whole life savings and more besides. People will take out loans, remortgage their homes, prostitute themselves and even worse to send money to these people once they have been hooked. |
| Why would these scammers do this? |
Most scammers are based in West African countries, the vast majority of them being from Nigeria. This is a simple statement of fact and not in any way a racist or biased comment. The scammers themselves try to justify their actions by using arguments such as 'The rich West robs our countries of their resources so we are only getting back what is ours' or 'We are poor and have no other way of earning money'. This is total nonsense.
Scammers come from countries which are notorious for their poor government, human rights abuses and corruption. When Sanni Abacha, the one time dictator of Nigeria died, for instance, many billions of dollars stolen from the Nigerian economy were found salted away in secret bank accounts all over the world. This corruption extends into all areas of daily life in these countries. Police units, for instance, often make roadblocks for the sole purpose of extorting money from people driving along the roads. In such a climate it is seen as natural to extort money from other people, not only Westerners but Africans, Asians and those from Middle Eastern countries too. Nor do the scammers have any regard to the personal circumstances of their victims. Rich, poor, vulnerable are all one to them as long as they can extort money.
Nor are they starving. Africa has far too many people who are truly starving but do these people have the time, money and education to sit in internet cafes scamming people or are they too busy trying to prevent their families and themselves from starvation? Most scammers are educated urbanites who see scamming as an easy way to make money. Money which is not needed for food but is spent on cars, cellphones and other trappings which increase their status amongst their peers.
In short scammers do it because they live in a culture where being a successful thief is a status symbol and where they are rarely arrested and charged with fraud because those the authorities are easily bribed. As time goes on and they become more successful, some of them leave their home country and base themselves in places like the United Kingdom, the USA, South Africa, Amsterdam, Ireland, Australia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and various other countries. It is easier to get an arrest in some of these places and the authorities are usually not able to be bribed, so this is much more risky for the scammers. |
| Why did the scammer choose me? |
The scammer found your e-mail address somewhere on the internet and contacted you along with thousands of other people. He did not choose you specifically. By sending out the e-mail to so many people he hopes that he will find at least one person who is willing to send him money. The main reason that he "chose" you is that you replied to his initial letter.
Every day, scammers are sending out many thousands of email solicitations to people around the world. The typical response rate is quite low because many people are aware of the scam or email providers' spam filters catch these emails and reject them or a number of other reasons. All people who reply to the scammer with a positive indication that they are interested will be "chosen." |
| Why can't you get my scammer arrested? |
| We are not law enforcement, though some of our members may be police officers fraudwatchers.org is not an official law enforcement group, nor are we related to any. We are all volunteers, doing this in our spare time.
Unfortunately many of these scammers are in Nigeria and arrests there are few and far between. We have had a very good relationship with the South African police in the past, and many scammers have been arrested in that country. As time goes on and they become more successful, some of them leave their home country and base themselves in places like the United Kingdom, the USA, South Africa, Amsterdam, Ireland, Australia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and various other countries. It is easier to get an arrest in some of these places and the authorities are usually not able to be bribed, so this is much more risky for the scammers. |
| Why do people fall for these scams? |
| We have an article on this topic here |
| Why don't you just tell everyone about these scams? |
We tell as many people as we can! Where we have information about specific scam victims we contact them by e-mail, phone or letter. Many other people find our website when they search for information on these scams.
Unfortunately we can't reach everyone but you can help us educate by telling your friends and family about the scams and how to be safe on the internet. |
| Why is there not more media exposure about these scams? |
The majority of scam victims don't go to the police to report their losses. As a result the media don't realise the extent of these scams. As part of our work we raise awareness of the scams with the media so they can alert their readers, listeners and viewers.
If you have been a scam victim you can help others by telling your story to a local newspaper or radio station. If you would like help with this you can contact us for advice on how to approach them. |
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