What Is An Advance Fee Fraud
An advance-fee scam is a form of fraudFraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain (money or other assets), or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compensation) or criminal law (e.g., a fraud perpetrator may be prosecuted and imprisoned by governmental authorities), or it may cause no loss of money, property, or legal right but still be an element of another civil or criminal wrong. The purpose of fraud may be monetary gain or other benefits, for example by obtaining a passport, travel document, or driver's license, or mortgage fraud, where the perpetrator may attempt to qualify for a mortgage by way of false statements. A fraud can also be a hoax, which is a distinct concept that involves deliberate deception without the intention of gain or of materially damaging or depriving a victim. and one of the most common types of online scams or cybercrimesCybercrimes Cybercrime is a crime related to technology, computers, and the Internet. Typical cybercrime are performed by a computer against a computer, or by a hacker using software to attack computers or networks..
The scam typically involves promising the victim a significant share of a large sum of money, in return for a small up-front payment, which the fraudsterFraudster A Scammer or Fraudster is someone that engages in deception to obtain money or achieve another objective. They are criminals that attempt to deceive a victim into sending more or performing some other activity that benefits the scammer. requires in order to obtain the large sum.
If a victim makes the payment, the fraudster either invents a series of further fees for the victim or simply disappears.
The Federal Bureau Of Investigation [FBIFBI FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, the FBI is also a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and reports to both the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence. A leading U.S. counter-terrorism, counterintelligence, and criminal investigative organization, the FBI has jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes, including financial fraud.] States That:
An advance fee scheme occurs when the victim pays money to someone in anticipation of receiving something of greater value—such as a loan, contract, investment, or gift—and then receives little or nothing in return.
There are many variations of this type of scam, including the 419 scam (also known as the Nigerian Prince scam), the Spanish Prisoner scam, the black money scam, Fifo’s Fraud and the Detroit-Buffalo scam.
The scam has been used for decades with fax and traditional mail, and is now prevalent online in emails and instant messages, even with SMS Text messages.
While Nigeria is most often the nation referred to in these scams, they originate in other nations as well. In 2006, 61% of internet criminals were traced to locations in the United States, while 16% were traced to the United Kingdom, and 6% to Nigeria. However, that was 13 years ago, and today Advance Fee frauds come from almost every country as more learn how they work and just how many victims will bite.
Other nations known to have a high incidence of advance-fee fraud include:
- Ivory Coast
- Togo
- South Africa
- The Netherlands
- Spain
- Poland
- Jamaica
- China
- Vietnam
- India
- Pakistan
- Bangladesh
- Latin Americas
The number “419” refers to the section of the Nigerian CriminalCriminal A criminal is any person who through a decision or act engages in a crime. This can be complicated, as many people break laws unknowingly, however, in our context, it is a person who makes a decision to engage in unlawful acts or to place themselves with others who do this. A criminal always has the ability to decide not to break the law, or if they initially engage in crime to stop doing it, but instead continues. Code dealing with fraud, the charges and penalties for offenders.
According to Western Union:
The victim sends money to the scammerScammer A Scammer or Fraudster is someone that engages in deception to obtain money or achieve another objective. They are criminals that attempt to deceive a victim into sending more or performing some other activity that benefits the scammer. using a money transfer service, but then receives nothing in return. These loans, credit cards, grants, investments or inheritance sums never actually existed.
And once the scammers get their money, they are never heard from again. These types of advanced fee or prepayment scams often prey on those who are struggling financially, but that doesn’t mean they can’t happen to anyone.
They Come In Many Forms
Phony offers don’t just come through email and over the Internet; you might receive a letter in the mail offering you an opportunity. Another prominent scam may be initiated by someone claiming to be a person of importance in a foreign country who needs your assistance in accessing funds in their country, tricking consumers into thinking their request is legitimate. The fraudsters are very convincing.
Tips To Avoid Advance Fee Fraud
1) NEVER SEND MONEY TO SOMEONE YOU HAVEN’T MET IN PERSON
Make sure you know exactly who you’re dealing with when using a money transfer service.
While money transfer is a great way to send money to family and friends, it should not be used for sending money in advance for a credit card or loan fee. If you’ve never heard of the company or person contacting you, do a little research to learn more about them. If possible, plan a visit to the business location or consult the Better Business Bureau. If you have significant concerns, contact your Attorney General’s Office or your local law enforcement officials.
REMEMBER: Money Transfer services will ask you if you know this person – sadly most victims lie about this and say they do. Did you know that that simple act is a crime? It is wire fraud and potential money launderingMoney laundering Money laundering is the illegal process of concealing the origins of money obtained illegally by passing it through a complex sequence of banking transfers or commercial transactions. Money laundering can be done through various mediums, leveraging a variety of payment vehicles, people and institutions..
2) NEVER HAVE TO SEND MONEY IN ADVANCE TO OBTAIN A LOAN OR CREDIT CARD
Keep in mind: if an offer appears too good to be true, it most likely is.
You should not pay money to someone for a promise or in anticipation of receiving something of greater value. If you receive a suspicious email that mentions a money transfer organization, be sure to notify the organization and report the email right away. If someone contacted you through email asking you to send them money via Western Union, forward the email to: spoof@westernunion.com » and report it on this website or on Anyscam.com »
3) DO NOT PAY FOR AN ITEM OR SERVICE WITH A MONEY TRANSFER TO AN INDIVIDUAL
When purchasing an item on the internet, be sure you’re using a secure payment method.
It’s never a good idea to send money to an individual to pay for an internet item or service via money transfer. When sending money in any case, you should be aware of exactly where it’s headed.
4) BE SUSPICIOUS OF BUSINESSES WITHOUT A VERIFIED STREET ADDRESS
If the business you’re buying products from operates out of a post office box or mail drop, you should be suspicious.
Additionally, any ecommerce or sales company without a direct telephone line or who is never available when you call is a red flag that should make you think twice.
Summary
Follow these tips to keep your money where it belongs: in your wallet.
How To Report Fraud To Western Union
If you believe you may be a victim of fraud using Western Union, call the Western Union Fraud Hotline number at 1-800-448-1492.
How To Report Fraud To MoneyGram
If you suspect fraud on a transaction that has not yet been received, please contact MoneyGram’s Customer Care Center at (800) 926-9400 (in Spanish – (800) 955-7777) in order to have the transaction canceled immediately.
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SCARS GREEN BOOK
Self-Help Self-Paced Recovery Program Guide
LEARN HOW TO RECOVER ON YOUR OWN
This program is designed to help scam victims struggling to recover on their own and for those who want to understand the overall process. You can be using other resources, such as traumaTrauma Emotional and psychological trauma is the result of extraordinarily stressful events that shatter your sense of security, making you feel helpless in a dangerous world. Psychological trauma can leave you struggling with upsetting emotions, memories, and anxiety that won’t go away. It can also leave you feeling numb, disconnected, and unable to trust other people. Traumatic experiences often involve a threat to life or safety or other emotional shocks, but any situation that leaves you feeling overwhelmed and isolated can result in trauma, even if it doesn’t involve physical harm. It’s not the objective circumstances that determine whether an event is traumatic, but your subjective emotional experience of the event. The more frightened and helpless you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatized. Trauma requires treatment, either through counseling or therapy or through trauma-oriented support programs, such as those offered by SCARS. counselingCounseling Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. A mental health counselor (MHC), or counselor, is a person who works with individuals and groups to promote optimum mental and emotional health. Such persons may help individuals deal with issues associated with addiction and substance abuse; family, parenting, and marital problems; stress management; self-esteem; and aging. They may also work with "Social Workers", "Psychiatrists", and "Psychologists". SCARS does not provide mental health counseling. or therapy, qualified support groupsSupport Groups In a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic, such as romance scams. Members with the same issues can come together for sharing coping strategies, to feel more empowered and for a sense of community. The help may take the form of providing and evaluating relevant information, relating personal experiences, listening to and accepting others' experiences, providing sympathetic understanding and establishing social networks. A support group may also work to inform the public or engage in advocacy. They can be supervised or not. SCARS support groups are moderated by the SCARS Team and or volunteers., or completely independent – on your own!
The SCARS Steps program is a complete program and is provided for the purpose of helping scam victims to overcome this experience. Throughout this SCARS Steps Program, we speak about issues and challenges that a victim may have and help guide them through their recovery. But each person is different and it is important to understand your own reasons for being vulnerable to being scammed.
After the trauma of being scammed, you need to take steps to recover and move on. This may be an alternative to counseling in the short term, but we still encourage you to seek out professional help & support. Throughout this SCARS Steps Program, we speak about issues, challenges, defects, or problems that a victim may have in a generalized way.
The SCARS GREEN BOOK will help you recover from your scam offline and it will always be there when you need it!
SCARS SLATE BOOK – Let Us Explain What Happened!
A Guide For Families & Friends Of Scam Victims
HOW TO HELP ROMANCE SCAM VICTIMS FOR FAMILIES & FRIENDS OF SCAM VICTIMS
This SCARS Publishing book represents a complete guide to help the families and friends understand how these scams work and how to help the victim.
The SCARS Slate Book should be purchased by family and friends to better understand what happened to the victim and the traumatic impact on them. But it can also be shared by the victim so that they do not have to explain to family and friends about the scam. This publication is to help others to help Scam Victims to make it through this traumatic experience and recover.
Each person is different and it is important to understand how relationship scamsRelationship Scam A Relationship Scam is a one-to-one criminal act that involves a trust relationship and uses deception & manipulation to get a victim to give to the criminal something of value, such as money! Click here to learn more: What Is A Relationship Scam? work and why people are vulnerable; to being scammed, how they were lured in, then groomed and manipulated. This understanding is essential in helping them through the process of ending the scam and then on to recovery. The SCARS Slate Book will provide the information necessary to help support a victim through this process.
SCARS RED BOOK
Your Personal Scam Evidence & Crime Record Organizer
ORGANIZE YOUR INFORMATION TO MAKE THE REPORTING PROCESS SIMPLE!
Helps you get and stay organized. This publication is to help Scam Victims organize their crime information. Complete this information before reporting to the police then bring this book with you
Before or after reporting to the police the RED BOOK gives you a dedicated tool to record all the essential facts of this crime. The Victim, the Scammers, the Money, and your Police interactions. Everything that really matters can be easily recorded for your immediate use and for the future!
As we have seen, money recovery/repayment programs can become available years after the scam ends and you need to keep all the details of this crime in case it is needed. We have also seen scammers being extradited to the U.S. and other countries, this will help in the event you testify or give statements, Additionally, this helps you have your information ready to qualify for victims’ benefits, compensation, or aid.
The Official SCARS RED BOOK is your way of recording all the important facts of this crime so that you do not lose essential information, Complete the RED BOOK then put it away with the confidence that you will have it if or when it is needed.
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By the Society of Citizens Against Relationship ScamsSCARS SCARS - Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. A government registered crime victims' assistance & crime prevention nonprofit organization based in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. SCARS supports the victims of scams worldwide and through its partners in more than 60 countries around the world. Incorporated in 2015, its team has 30 years of continuous experience educating and supporting scam victims. Visit www.AgainstScams.org to learn more about SCARS. Inc.
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