Advanced Fee Fraud Letters

There are many types of scams. The advanced fee fraud letter format of scamming is common place.

ADVANCED FEE FRAUD LETTERS
In these types of scams, the victim receives an unsolicited e-mail, fax or letter requesting assistance in transferring a large sum of money to an overseas bank account. The fraud artists usually represent themselves as corporate executives or bank or government officials from Nigeria or another West African country. Sample of a Typical Letter Scam

This is not a new scam but has become more widespread as the internet provides a means for fraud artists to communicate anonymously with numerous potential victims.

The victim is promised a significant percentage of the funds for his/her assistance via the use of his/her bank account to make the transfer. Personal information such as the victim's phone/fax number, address, and bank account particulars are requested by the fraud artist.

The victim is asked to pay an "advanced fee", a sum of money up front to cover expenses such as the transfer and processing of the funds to his/her account. Once an initial payment is made, additional funds are generally requested to cover additional costs or problems encountered.

The victim is promised a significant percentage of the funds for his/her assistance via the use of his/her bank account to make the transfer. Personal information such as the victim's phone/fax number, address, and bank account particulars are requested by the fraud artist.

Individuals receiving these unsolicited letters should not reply to them. Under no circumstances should people commit to one of these schemes and forward any money. The fraud artists will abscond with the funds and no large money transfer into the victim's account will ever occur. The personal information of the victim may also be used to commit additional fraud offences. Identification and prosecution of these individuals and the recovery of lost funds is unlikely as they frequently operate from other countries and mask their true identities.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE A VICTIM OF AN ADVANCED FEE FRAUD:
Residents of the Region of Waterloo who have lost funds in one of these scams should call the Waterloo Regional Police Service at (519) 653-7700 to file a report.  If you have sent money through a money wire service, you will need to contact the agency to report the fraudulent transaction. Reporting this to the company will allow police access to the information regarding the destination of the funds.

NOTE: Although funds are sent to a specific location, some money wire services allow the funds to be picked up at other locations world wide, not just where it was sent.  

You should also submit a report with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre which is operated by the Competition Bureau, RCMP and OPP.  The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre tracks trends in fraud nation wide and is the national call centre for mass marketing fraud and identity theft.

Helpful Links:

• Canadian Anti Fraud Centre 
• Competition Bureau Canada