Advance Fee Fraud Scams can be avoided by following simple steps:
1. If it looks too good to be true...It probablly is. Common sense is the best offense against fraud.
2. Beware of anyone contacting you via the internet from out of the country especially, Nigeria, the UK, and Canada.
3. If the person's country of origin is not readily determined, pay attention to the contact's use of the English language. Scammers from other countries often type in all caps, use bad punctuation, and unusual phrases ie. "Many blessings to you."
4. NEVER accept a cashier's check for payment, these are incredibly easy to counterfeit. A cashier's check is the most common point of loss for any scam victim.
5. Always verify payment prior to accepting it.
6. NEVER agree to send an "accidental" overpayment of money back to a purchaser
this is the heart of the advance fee scam.
7. NEVER agree to wire money to a purchaser or agent via any type of telegram service.
8. NEVER give out personal information to anyone over the internet except through accounts / existing services that you have authorized.
9. Scammers have been attempting to order goods / services through corporate web sites. They have been known to send counterfeit forms of payment.
10. Be wary of guaranteed loans from what appears to be a trustworthy source for a fee paid in advance. Loans should only be obtained from legitimate financial institutions.
A final note, since the inception of the internet, scams have grown exponentially with millions of US currency leaving the country. Internet fraud is incredibly difficult to investigate. Many if not all Law Enforcement agencies on the local levels may not have the resources to investigate if you are a vicitm. Federal agencies will only investigate if your loss is significant.
Think of it this way, if someone from Nigeria took you money, how difficult would it be for you to find them? Law enforcement has the same dilema, and there is really no way to prosecute an international criminal for a simple theft. In this day and age, much of federal law enforcement funding is spent on homeland security rather than investigating such crimes. The best way to protect yourself is to use your common sense!
Two great resources are
lookstoogoodtobetrue.com, and
secretservice.gov. They offer frequent updates of these ever changing scams.