Avoid Advance Fee Fraud (4-1-9) E-mail Schemes

--May 9, 2003--

A unique and pervasive type of spam has been plaguing e-mail inboxes for the past few years. Know as the “4-1-9” or “Advance Fee Fraud,” these fraudulent messages are usually sent from a party in a foreign country--most frequently Nigeria--and request your aid in transferring large sums of money out of their country.

These schemes usually use the following format, or some variation:

• Someone you don't know sends e-mail telling you that s/he holds an important or trusted position.
• The letter alleges an overpayment of money to another account.
• You are asked to receive this large sum of money, possibly millions of dollars, into your personal bank account.
• You are told you have been chosen to collaborate in the transfer because you are trustworthy, and if you agree, you will be given a large share of the money.
• You may be told that this will be done without risk to you, but are asked to keep the transaction a secret.
• The sender may request personal information such as blank company letterhead forms, banking account information, telephone/fax numbers.

If you should receive such a message, or other any message promising a return that sounds too good to be true, investigate it carefully. For more about the 4-1-9 scheme (named after the section of the Nigerian penal code which addresses fraud schemes) and what to do about it, read the U.S. Secret Service Public Awareness Advisory.

To lodge a complaint about a 4-1-9 scheme, send an e-mail to the U.S. Secret Service. Be sure to include the complete mail headers for the unsolicited correspondence you are reporting so responsibility for this incident can be quickly assessed. Instructions on extracting the full mail headers for many e-mail clients are available on the SpamCop Web site.

To contact the Information Security Office, send mail to abuse@utexas.edu.

For more information about other types of Internet fraud, see:

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Internet Fraud: How to Avoid Internet Investment Scams

KnowFraud: Identity Theft

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