Internet Scams

Many scams involving Nigerian nationals have sprouted on the Internet and these usually involve some bogus lottery scheme where the so-called "winner" is informed via email that his/her email has won a lottery in an Internet lucky draw. The "winner" is then requested to provide certain personal information to a fiduciary (collecting agent). These agents are almost always based in London. Before collecting the prize, however, the "winner" is required to deposit a sum of money into an account (the scammer's account). Scams like these play on human greed for "quick" riches and gullible as it may seem, many have fallen for such scams.

More recently, love scams involving Africans have surfaced. These scams play on the emotional vulnerability of single women looking for friendship or love on the Internet. They prey on women registered on networking (Facebook, Myspace, etc.) or dating sites. Their modus operandi is to masquerade as white males and these scammers would woo their prey with sweet talk and promises. Women who gave out their phone numbers would be inundated with calls professing love and devotion and even promising gifts. The scammers would call from a UK-based number and according to Internet sources, calls to these numbers would be diverted to the location where the scammers operate from.

The scammer would then supposedly make a trip to Kuala Lumpur to meet his lady and somehow, he would get into trouble that would require the lady to help him financially. One tactic is that he is stuck at customs at the airport and need some cash to clear the gifts he had brought or his wallet was stolen, etc. and he would request that cash be banked into an account.

According to reliable sources, such a syndicate operates from Puchong in Kuala Lumpur and to all you ladies out there looking for friends/love on the Internet, be alert...as the saying goes...if it is too good to be true, it probably is...better to be safe than sorry!