New Nigerian Scam

Matts on 2003-10-05T21:31:11

Technically this would probably be called an Advanced Fee Fraud, not a Nigerian Scam. But it's interesting anyway...

Hello,
I am intrested in the purchase of your car for £2200 if you can
make arrangement to have it shipped to Republic Of South Africa or i sholud contact my personal Agent. Please check the cost of shipping and let me have the total As regards payment, I have already contacted someone owing me £6890 and he has agreed to send a check or money order and bank draft to you. As soon as it clears your bank, please deduct the cost+shipping and you can let me have my balance via Money Gram Transfer or western union money transfer.and tell meyour commission for helping me.
If this is okay, 
Please forward 
Name 
Address
Telephone 
Zip Code
so that I can arrange payment
Thanks
DAMMY JONNY

Either it's a scam or this guy wants to get a *really* good deal on my car :-)

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why "advanced"

nicholas on 2003-10-05T22:13:08

If this is a scam, is there some subtlety to it, and if why is it named "advanced fee"? Advanced in the sense of an advance of money, rather than advanced as in relative timing of someting, or advanced as in sophisticaed?

From my reading of the message, he intends that you ship the car out to him (initially at your expence) before his payment (via the third party) clears. Hence the scam would be that the payment never clears, but the car is well on its way by then (or delivered and disappeared). If so, the reward is one car. I thought that people usually preferred money to material goods in these things.

Re:why "advanced"

Matts on 2003-10-06T12:15:47

The former - advanced as in the money is advanced to the scammer.

yup, it's a scam

geoff on 2003-10-06T02:27:33

it works because banks typically have a short window under which they can deny you access funds you deposit, from 3 to 7 days in the US. that means that if you deposit a fake $10,000 check, the bank is required to give you access to that money after 7 days, regardless of whether or not they have actually recieved the funds themselves. so, 6 weeks later when the bank discovers you deposited a bad check, they promptly require their money back.



you can find details of this particular version of the scam all over the internet, such as here, and here.



The Art of the Steal by Frank Abagnale (of catch me if you can fame) is a very good read, and full of descriptions of this kind of thing.

usually they wait until you've advertised your car

MGLEE on 2003-10-06T12:44:47

Every day hundreds of intrepid africans scan the world's used car ads, then pounce ...

http://www.dallas.bbb.org/carscam.html

http://www.iowaattorneygeneral.org/latest_news/releases/feb_2003/nig_scam.html