Nigerian twist #1: Trust me -- send no money
The scam: In London, England, a would-be renter is fooled into believing she's dealing with a legitimate apartment owner when he tells her there's no need to send an advance payment to him.The cunning crook spins a story about having trouble with previous renters and wanting proof of her ability to pay. But he suggests she should send some money -- about $2500 -- as an electronic payment to a friend or relative of her choice.
That way, he says, it will prove she has the money but it will remain safe. Here's the catch: as proof of payment, he asks for a scanned copy of the transfer payment. A while later, posing as the friend or relative, he uses this copy to collect the money from a Western Union office.
The solution: It's not clear if Western Union was fooled into thinking the document was an original or if they will pay out on presentation of a copy. All they would say is that they are investigating the scam.
Meanwhile, the message is clear: not only should you not send electronic payments to someone you don't know and trust but also don't send them a copy either.
Nigerian twist #2: Send me the stuff -- I'll use PayPal
The scam: Wise to the use of forged checks and stolen credit cards to pay for items they're selling, many vendors using services like eBay and Craigslist now insist they'll only accept payments via PayPal, especially to buyers who ask for shipment overseas -- usually to Africa.Fine. But what happens when you get an email apparently from PayPal saying your account has now been credited with the money you're awaiting?
Well, if you don't independently check your account, you may have just received a fake message that's not from PayPal at all.
It's easy to do if the buyer gets your email address and it's just as easy for scammers to design a message that looks like the real thing. And that's what they're now doing in a big way.
The solution: Simple. As suggested above, check your PayPal account to make sure the money really is there.
Nigerian twist #3: It's OK -- we're the FBI, um, the President
The scam: A resident of North Kenai, Alaska, sniffs out a scam when she receives a $30,000 check, supposedly from the Central Bank of Nigeria, and is told to take 10% and forward the rest. She doesn't.Later she gets what seems to be an email from the FBI. It says they've been monitoring her email and investigating the bank and "confirmed your contract payment is 100% genuine and hitch free."
She still doesn't bite, so a couple of days later the scammers send another message, this time from the "United Nations 2007 Compensations Payments Directive" saying the Nigerian government is concerned about its image and the President wants to pay the woman $300,000 compensation to redeem its good name!
Now, of course, they just want her bank details so they can forward the money. She doesn't fall for that either.
The solution: Talk about persistence! As usual, the warnings here are that you don't get money for nothing, never wire cash to someone you don't know, and don't give your bank details to someone you don't know -- even someone who says he's the President of Nigeria!
For more information about Nigerian-type scams, check out these Scambusters articles related to the Nigerian fee scam.
