Sussex Police take fraud seriously and have a dedicated Unit
who deal with major frauds or assist our own Divisions and other law
enforcement agencies in their investigations.
We are committed to reducing the effects of all types of
fraud.
Fraud can be costly to the victim but there are simple steps
you can take to prevent you, your company or organisation from being defrauded.
We have attempted to list here some of the most recent forms of ‘419’ fraud, so
called as this is the section of the Nigerian Criminal Code which covers this
type of offence, together with other current trends.
‘Greetings, I am the Head of Accounts of the National Bank of Africa’.
Although the approach may vary from mail, email, or
fax the actual method used is quite simple in that the writer has the ability
to gain access to a large sum of money, usually in excess of $35 million. The
flamboyant stories woven around the discovery of the money can vary. They may
purport to be a bank official who has discovered the account of a dead
foreigner with no known next of kin or a large sum of money left from an
unfulfilled government project. It may be a supposed relative of a deposed or
dead African President, murdered farmer, or indeed anyone, who is party to the
whereabouts of a large amount of money. Whatever the reason the request will be
the same in asking for help to move the money out of Africa and into the
victims bank account. In return for their help the victim will either receive a
percentage or their organisation will benefit from a charitable donation of the
total amount.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Although the people, places and organizations named can
be and frequently are genuine they have no involvement in the fraud. It is the
fraudsters way of legitimising the approach.
Those who contact the fraudsters find themselves
embroiled in a never ending race. There is at some point always an advance fee aspect
to the fraud. Just when it seems that the victim may gain $10 million dollars
for the mere use of their bank account there will be fees that have to be paid
to overcome all sorts of obstacles.
Perhaps the most despicable of all are the ones targeted
at usually small charities offering them a donation of a sum of money beyond
their wildest dreams. This type of approach can build up false hopes and
expectations which are always dashed when the charity realises that they
themselves have been the only ones to make a donation straight to the
fraudsters pockets.
True figures for the success rate of the fraudsters or
losses to the victims are unknown but in both instances are thought to be in
multi-millions of pounds.
In this fraud the approach to the victims can be the
same as in the ‘discovered’ or ‘willed’ money scheme. The victim is shown a
sample of bank notes which they are told have been treated with a special
chemical in order to smuggle them out of Africa. The notes are usually US dollar
bills and all will appear blackened by this treatment. The victim is then asked
to buy a solution which will wash the notes and return them to their original
state. A demonstration is even laid on for the victim in which selected notes
are miraculously cleaned.
Needless to say the notes were never treated with a
special chemical and the cleaning is a sleight of hand trick.
‘Congratulations on winning $200 million in the
International Criminal & Fraudsters Lottery’.
The victim will be told that they as an individual or
their company has won a substantial multi-million dollar prize in a lottery
which has just been drawn. Unfortunately there has been a mix up in the numbers
and the lottery organisers will need proof of identity before the prize money
can be released. If it sounds familiar think back to the ‘discovered’, ‘willed’
or ‘treated’ money. Eventually the victim will be paying money to the
fraudster’s to overcome administration or transfer problems.
There never was a Lottery, there never was a ticket
and it is highly unlikely that there ever was any prize money or holiday on the
terms originally stated.
‘During a recent transaction your details became
confused with others in the system’, ‘you need to update your credit card
details’
If this is beginning to sound familiar then it is yet
another approach in order to gain money from the victim. Perhaps of all the
schemes this is the most simple and in the main is confined to the internet.
You will receive an official looking email purporting
to come from one of the large banks or any institution which requires online
payment in which you will be asked to
provide your full bank/credit card, together with your personal and password
details in order to sort out the problem. It goes without saying that once the
fraudster has these details the victim’s bank account will be drained of funds
very quickly. Some of these emails have become quite sophisticated in that you
may be directed to click on a link which will take you to an impressive looking
spoof web page complete with the appropriate company logos.
No reputable bank or other company would ever make
such approaches, let alone reveal that a mix up had taken place or that they
had to update their systems. Internet shopping through secure sites is safe but
these frauds are just another way to extract money from victim’s who are
perhaps just too trusting when receiving electronic mail.
This type of approach can also be made by telephone. The
fraudsters can sound quite genuine and be very persuasive. They will normally
ask if you have made a purchase recently and the excuse for the question will
vary from a suspicious transaction to the possibility of your card having been
cloned. They will ask for details of the card including your name, card number
and the security numbers on the rear. Once again your account will be the
loser.
In the main sales through Internet versions of
classified advertisements carry no greater risk than their paper equivalents
but would you expect a reply from Africa to the sale of your 1989 Metro? Do not
be fooled. There is no ‘International Dealer’ who is willing to pay £4000 for
your £400 vehicle and then have it shipped back to Africa. If you become
embroiled in one of these ‘sales’ then you will receive a cheque for more than
the item is worth with the request that you refund the remainder. The
remainder, which is your money, will be the only real part of this process as
the original cheque is either stolen, altered or a total forgery. Fraudsters
trying this method with Sussex residents have so far been interested in buying
items ranging from computer parts to horses, snakes, lizards and diesel
engines.
This type of approach will normally be via the postal
services and involves an official looking form and letter which states that
‘you do not appear to be registered on our database in respect of the Data
Protection Act’. If you, as a company or individual, have a requirement to
register under this Act then this statement is quite true. What it means is
that you are not on this companies database, not that you have failed to
register with the Information Commissioner. These companies are offering a
service to register you with a cost in addition to that charged by the
Commissioner. This is an interesting legal loophole in that the scheme appears
to be totally lawful although misleading. The proposed new fraud bill may
capture such activities but in the meantime they are free to operate. The
Information Commissioners Office together with the Serious Fraud Office are
currently looking at the problem but until any conclusions are reached the
letters and forms will continue to arrive in their thousands across the
country.
The latest scheme promises a cash prize of £1,000 which rarely materialises but costs each unwitting victim about £15 in premium rate phone bills. It uses computer-generated calls to ring target phones just once so that a number is left behind as a missed call. When users ring the number to find out who has been calling them, they are answered by someone saying ‘customer care’ then the voice goes into the ‘congratulations’ chat. The caller is then referred to a premium rate number where they can find out more details of their ‘fantastic prize’.
Use of another persons identity is nothing new and is
generally thought of as a method used by James Bond and the like. The Portland
spy ring of the 1960’s is a prime example. Helen and Ethel Kroger were living
in Ruislip and claimed to be from Canada, when they were really American, and
their name, Kroger, was actually that of a couple from New Zealand who were
killed in a car crash. The KGB had arranged their new false identities.
Remember – if
it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is
If you are the recipient of any such approach then the
most commonly asked question is ‘how did they get my details?’ Some of the
methods are the same as used by legitimate companies through sources such as
Voters Registers or other mailing lists. The difference is that while the
legitimate companies have to pay for these lists and abide by codes of conduct
in their use the fraudsters simply steal them. In the case of email addresses
there are various electronic ways of trawling the internet and gathering this
information. No one will ever be 100% safe from receiving some sort of unwanted
mail.
Whilst the following advice may seem that we are
unwilling to investigate these attempted deceptions the reality is that in most
instances we do not have the powers to do so. In particular the fraudsters who
work from outside the United Kingdom are, in the main, beyond the jurisdiction
of the Sussex Police. Our priority is, therefore, one of prevention.
What should you do if you receive any approach similar
to the ones mentioned here?
If you are approached by letter then do what you would
with any other junk mail and throw it in the bin.
If you receive an email then under no circumstances
should you reply. Do not think that by replying in the terms that you have no
interest in their scheme or that you have notified the police will have any
effect. Any reply means that the fraudster’s will know they have hit a live
email address. Forward a copy to the abuse address of the Internet Service
Provider from where the email originated. These addresses usually take the form
of for example abuse@hotmail.com or abuse@tiscali.co.uk. These service providers are keen to shut down any email address that
not only contravenes their service agreements but which is also being used in
an attempt to commit fraud. You can also activate the spam blocker within your
own email account to prevent further approaches from that email address.
Finally delete the email from your system.
Please remember that you have not been targeted
personally. These letters and emails are sent out in their thousands daily to
individuals and companies worldwide. Investigations of one recent email
forwarded to us showed that it had been sent to over 1,500 addresses and that
each one was being asked in the text to treat the matter with the utmost
secrecy.
The only
circumstances where we would ask you to forward either a letter, fax or email
to the Sussex Police is if it contains details of a United Kingdom bank
account, postal address or telephone number.
Equally although we appreciate the annoyance element
we cannot at the moment accept or investigate any Data Protection Registration
schemes despite the fact that they originate from within the United Kingdom
unless the return address is situated in Sussex.
If you have become a victim of one of these schemes or simply want to
seek advice then please contact Sussex Police.
The Metropolitan Police Service has an excellent Fraud Alert service on
its website which can be found at www.met.police.uk/fraudalert. This website
also contains details of current trends in fraud.