Internet Scams and Fraud in a Nutshell
In the last ten years, the Internet has gone from an odd
curiosity embraced by computer geeks to a tool that nearly
everyone finds indispensable. We now use it for shopping, paying
bills and all manner of other useful things, from finding sports
scores to looking up recipes. Unfortunately, unscrupulous
criminal types are using the Internet for another, more
malicious reason - to steal your money.
With the
Internet becoming a bigger part of our lives, it is important
that users be on the lookout for scams and fraud opportunities
that may show up through e-mail. Here are descriptions of a few
of the most common scams currently making the rounds.
The Nigerian e-mail fraud - This one is amusing, because
it seems so over the top that one wouldn't think that anyone
would fall for it. The victims will receive an e-mail message
from someone purporting to be a friend or relative of someone
who used to be a high-ranking official in the Nigerian
government. The e-mail will explain that the sender needs help
smuggling millions of dollars in funds out of Nigeria, and that
you can share a portion of the proceeds if you will allow them
to use your bank account for the transaction. Of course, the
sender will require some fees, and some bribes and some money
for customs and who knows what else. If you send them any money
at all, they will reply that they need still more money from
you. You will never get any money back, however. They are just
taking you for a ride. If anyone sends you e-mail that says they
will share millions of dollars with you, don't believe them.
A very similar scam is one that informs you that you
have won a foreign lottery. You may not remember entering a
foreign lottery, and you almost certainly didn't, as doing so is
illegal under U.S. law. Still, the message reads, you are the
winner and your millions of dollars in cash is waiting for you
in a European bank. All you need to do is contact the person
mentioned in the message. Once you do, that person will mention
hundreds, or even thousands of dollars in fees that you must pay
in order to collect your winnings. As with the Nigerian scam
above, these hucksters will continue to take money from you for
as long as you are willing to send it.
Some things are
too good to be true, and any e-mail message that tells you that
there is a large sum of money waiting for you is a scam. Watch
out for the e-mail that comes into your inbox, or you may find
yourself much poorer for it.