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What are Nigerian emails and how scammers trap complaining users?
An information security researcher, Salvatore Lombardo, detailed a new scam scheme involving so-called Nigerian emails.
Nigerian letters are a type of online fraud where criminals promise victims large sums of money in exchange for a small prepayment or personal data. The scheme got its name from the fact that such messages initially came from Nigeria, although now they are distributed all over the world. Of course, it does not do without well-thought-out social engineering techniques.
The new version of the scam is fully implemented online and via email.
It all starts with a fake letter from a widow living in a refugee camp. A woman imploringly asks for help in obtaining a large sum of money bequeathed to her by her husband who died in the war.
This is followed by a long correspondence in which she describes her story in detail: how I was left all alone, lost my entire family, lost my home and my livelihood.
According to the widow, she barely makes ends meet, eating on donations. She is unable to return to her homeland and pay for paperwork, as access to her husband's bank account is blocked.
And then the woman makes the victim a business offer: to become her representative and help get the inheritance for a generous reward. At the same time, certain conditions are set: to keep all information and correspondence secret, not to deceive it, etc.
However, to do this, the representative must undertake to send an official letter to the bank requesting a transfer of funds, enclosing a number of documents that are available only to the widow in paper form.
And to scan these documents, she needs money for a trip to a remote locality, since the refugee camp does not have the necessary equipment. And this is where the fraud itself begins...
This is followed by a request to transfer a certain amount to a bank account allegedly belonging to a certain humanitarian organization employee. They say that refugees are not allowed to have their own accounts.
In fact, the specified account is controlled by fraudsters, and any money sent to it will end up in the pockets of scammers. After that, they are likely to demand even more money to pay for "legal services".
As you can see, the scheme is typical : first, a desperate letter about a large inheritance, then requests for personal information and financial assistance to resolve the formalities.
To protect yourself, it is important to exercise extreme caution when making any requests for money transfers from strangers, never provide personal data, and be sure to report such cases to law enforcement agencies.
According to Lombardo, at the moment the fraudulent account, where all the proceeds from this scam flow, has already collected approximately 1,371 euros. The investigation continues.
An information security researcher, Salvatore Lombardo, detailed a new scam scheme involving so-called Nigerian emails.
Nigerian letters are a type of online fraud where criminals promise victims large sums of money in exchange for a small prepayment or personal data. The scheme got its name from the fact that such messages initially came from Nigeria, although now they are distributed all over the world. Of course, it does not do without well-thought-out social engineering techniques.
The new version of the scam is fully implemented online and via email.
It all starts with a fake letter from a widow living in a refugee camp. A woman imploringly asks for help in obtaining a large sum of money bequeathed to her by her husband who died in the war.
This is followed by a long correspondence in which she describes her story in detail: how I was left all alone, lost my entire family, lost my home and my livelihood.
According to the widow, she barely makes ends meet, eating on donations. She is unable to return to her homeland and pay for paperwork, as access to her husband's bank account is blocked.
And then the woman makes the victim a business offer: to become her representative and help get the inheritance for a generous reward. At the same time, certain conditions are set: to keep all information and correspondence secret, not to deceive it, etc.
However, to do this, the representative must undertake to send an official letter to the bank requesting a transfer of funds, enclosing a number of documents that are available only to the widow in paper form.
And to scan these documents, she needs money for a trip to a remote locality, since the refugee camp does not have the necessary equipment. And this is where the fraud itself begins...
This is followed by a request to transfer a certain amount to a bank account allegedly belonging to a certain humanitarian organization employee. They say that refugees are not allowed to have their own accounts.
In fact, the specified account is controlled by fraudsters, and any money sent to it will end up in the pockets of scammers. After that, they are likely to demand even more money to pay for "legal services".
As you can see, the scheme is typical : first, a desperate letter about a large inheritance, then requests for personal information and financial assistance to resolve the formalities.
To protect yourself, it is important to exercise extreme caution when making any requests for money transfers from strangers, never provide personal data, and be sure to report such cases to law enforcement agencies.
According to Lombardo, at the moment the fraudulent account, where all the proceeds from this scam flow, has already collected approximately 1,371 euros. The investigation continues.
