About “Advance Fee” Frauds
An advance fee fraud is a scam that hooks people with the false promise of large sums of money for little or no effort. Once a person is deeply involved in the scam, he or she is asked to pay certain amounts of money to expedite the process. However, the victim ends up not making a dime.
Here are a few examples of the most popular advance fee frauds:
A foreign government official would like your assistance in transferring funds and will pay you a hefty commission if you agree.
You stand to inherit millions of dollars from a relative you don't remember.
You've won a prize or a lottery (perhaps one from a foreign country) that you don't remember entering.
Spotting a fraud: 7 signs of a scam
You don't know the person who has sent you the message.
You are promised untold sums of money for little or no effort on your part.
You are asked to provide money up front for questionable activities, a processing fee, or to pay the cost of expediting the process.
You are asked to provide your bank account number or other personal financial information, even if the sender offers to deposit money into it.
The request contains a sense of urgency.
The sender repeatedly requests confidentiality.
The sender offers to send you photocopies of government certificates, banking information, or other "evidence" that their activity is legitimate (these are fake).
