Most Common Internet Scams

Imagine you were sitting quietly at home or at work minding your own business. You are busy doing whatever it is you would normally be doing. Then for whatever reason you decide to take a break and check your email.

While you check the messages you have received, you notice one seems to have arrived from an unfamiliar source. It doesn't appear to have any attachment and your virus check tells you it appears to be clear so for whatever reason you decide to check it out.

What you uncover when you begin to read the message is quite fascinating. Apparently the sender has heard about you either from a friend or co-worker and is quite familiar with your particular area of expertise. Whatever your area of expertise, it could be lawyer or plumber or pedicurist it really doesn't matter. However, it was your particular expertise and referral from this "friend" that led to this individual contacting you for assistance.

It turns out that this individual has an incredibly exciting story to tell you that sounds like something out of a Tom Clancy novel. It involves espionage, deception, government coups and a tremendous amount of money. It is indeed a story the likes of which you have never heard before.

Generally the story will usually involve a member of a royal family or a high ranking government official. The individual contacting you is close personal acquaintance or family member of this person. The centre of the story usually involves the family being ousted or the government being overthrown and this particular individual and his/her fortune must somehow make it out of the country. The fortune is in the millions maybe even a billion. As it turns out, you are one of the only people who can help. You just need to send all your contact and banking information and eventually small amounts of cash in exchange for a percentage of this individual's fortune. Your reward for your assistance will be in the millions. Sound too good to be true? Of course it is.

You have just been introduced to one of the most common internet scams of the modern era. It is referred to as the Nigerian Letter or 419 fraud. Generally it is a carefully orchestrated scam where it becomes impossible to ever contact the individual who is writing the letter in any form other than email. If contact is established, additional inquiries are made that eventually lead to requests from this mysterious person for small amounts of cash to help facilitate the transfer of tremendous amounts of cash to the victim's account. Of course, no transfer is ever going to come. The scam continues for as long as the fraudsters can continue to milk the good samaritans of whatever they are willing to send.

Despite the fact that on face value most people would probably ignore such invitations as a joke, millions of dollars have been lost to these scams. There are of course easy ways to avoid falling victim to this type of fraud. Obviously the best way is of course to delete the letter. If you feel the need to read it however and you realize what it is right away, it is perhaps best to send it to your local law enforcement agency.

Also, most obviously, be weary of anyone claiming to be a member of a foreign government or wealthy royal family in need of your help. Be aware that nobody in their right minds would trust a stranger with millions of their own money, particularly to smuggle it out of a foreign country. I'm sure most people would find such an offer absolutely ridiculous and comical. Finally, never share your personal or business account information with a stranger. It may sound ridiculous, but people continue to fall victim to this fraud. Keep your eyes open and stay safe.