In old westerns and crime movies, the bad guys always had a not-sosecret strategy to escape the law. They would "run for the border." Sheriff's deputies on horses or the police in their squad vehicles chase them at full speed right as much as the sign that said "border," and then they quit and watch the bandits get away . . . until next time.
These days, that sort of an escape route does not really function for most crimes. The U.S. government has agreements with most countries across the world that allows the arrest and prosecution of people who attempt to run away; the same applies amongst all the states.
But in the modern Internet world, things have gotten sticky when someone attempts or really commits a crime from outside the United States against an American citizen. As a consumer, you should be extremely careful about any provide you obtain from someone outside of your home country. Some might be legitimate, but many are scams.
In current years, almost every one with an e-mail account has received at least one of several dozen variations of an appeal or a scheme that includes a reference to Nigeria. There is another name some law-enforcement agencies use for these scams: They might call them 4-1-9 frauds. That name comes from the Nigerian law that is supposed to make them illegal. But there are also thousands of Internet crooks who've completely no connection with the country, which has the biggest population in all of Africa. Here's the general outline of a Nigerian scam:
You obtain an e-mail from a banker, secretary, social worker, lawyer, or perhaps a bureaucrat. They may call themselves a physician, a minister, a barrister (an English term for lawyer), or other title. Somehow the sender has gotten your e-mail address - although the letter you receive might not have your name on it.
A terrible thing has happened, or perhaps a large mistake has been produced. Someone made a deposit of cash in a bank and then was killed by terrorists. Or a lady left a suitcase of money having a lawyer and then died in a automobile crash. Perhaps a charity has given millions as a gift but for some reason can't deposit the cash in a bank. Or someone says he is really a bureaucrat and writes to let you know he has discovered millions of unspent dollars in an account that everyone in the government has forgotten about.
In every situation, there seem to be no relatives or other people who're entitled to the money. But you will find all sorts of crooked politicians and thieves (imagine that?) trying to take away the money. For some reason, they think you can be trusted to help them, even though you have by no means heard of them and they do not know anything about you. And if you had been to appear closely in the e-mail itself - anyone who has experience with computer software should be in a position to help you examine the "properties" of the message - you would see that the e-mail was sent to dozens or hundreds of individuals.
They would like to send you the money so you can deposit it and maintain a portion of it as your reward before sending the rest back to them. Or they would like you to send them some money so that they can send you the money. Or they would like you to give them all the particulars of your bank accounts so they can put the money in there and later you can send them their share.
It all sounds very silly, doesn't it? Why would a complete stranger ask you to share in a fortune, and why would you give personal or financial information to someone who approaches you out with the blue? And but, every day individuals fall for this scam. There is just enough detail in the e-mails to make some people think the story is true. Unfortunately, there are some individuals who turn off their brains when someone offers what seems to be fast and easy riches.
Every year hundreds and perhaps thousands of people send money or information to one of these scammers. A handful have even been convinced to travel to a foreign nation to meet in person using the people involved; according towards the U.S. State Department, some have been threatened, beaten, as well as murdered.
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Note: This article was sent to us by: Andrew Vrassey at 01152011
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