A relatively small number of Nigerians, estimated at over two hundred thousand out of a population of over 130 million, perpetuate the perception of Nigeria as one of the most corrupt countries.

These 419ers ("four one Niners") operate not only from Nigeria but also from the diaspora. In this sense, great damage is being done to economic reforms.

Of course, this is also not the message Nigeria wishes to send to potential investors and foreign businessmen. The government has recently realized several convictions of fraudsters, with the money being returned to the victims.

Belgians are also regularly victims of this. Below are some tips to expose these fraudulent proposals, especially via email, and what to do in case one has fallen victim to such practices.

Recently, Nigeria has taken a legislative initiative to include the so-called '419 fraud' in the criminal code; Violators can be punished with a prison sentence of up to 3 years. The violation would apply to all unwanted emails sent from Nigeria.

 
The '419' fraud:

Nigeria is home to numerous scammers who contact people abroad by letter, fax, and increasingly via the internet. The scammers make all kinds of interesting proposals to companies or individuals and somehow charge an initial sum of money to complete the transaction. If the victim accepts the offer and makes a payment, he or she is guaranteed to lose this money for good.

The phenomenon is widespread in Nigeria and is known as '419', after the criminal code article that expressly prohibits these practices (!). A specially created government agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is trying to combat these abuses, but the fraudsters are numerous and difficult to catch.

The Belgian embassy in Abuja is very regularly confronted with questions from people who have been approached by '419ers'. Since January 2005, the embassy has intervened in about a hundred cases. Unfortunately, it can be assumed that many more people will be approached who do not submit a request for information to the embassy.

The crooks are particularly resourceful and resort to the most imaginative constructions. However, fraudulent letters and emails are quite easy to spot.

 
The characteristics:

Some 'type' examples of '419' frauds (this is NOT an exhaustive list, the creativity of the scammers is very great and new variants are released every week):

1) The 'classic' 419: a son or daughter of an African head of state or other important character has a large sum of money (millions of dollars) that he or she wants to smuggle out of the country… through your bank account. You will be asked to provide your account number so that the money can be deposited there. In exchange for this service, you will receive a hefty percentage of the amount.

2) A few years ago a Belgian with the same surname as you died in Nigeria. The 'lawyer' you contact has tried unsuccessfully for several years to track down the heirs of the large fortune left behind by the deceased (again several million dollars). At his wits' end, he wrote to someone with the same last name, to be able to leave the money to someone. To benefit from this generosity, you must first get some 'formalities' in order.

3) Your company has won a very large contract from a shadowy Nigerian government company. Before you can proceed with the delivery of your products (worth several million dollars), you must first pay some administrative costs… which keep piling up.

4) You will be offered a very generous contract in Nigeria, you only have to pay first for work and residence permits.

5) Other proposals concern false charities and or support for non-existent NGOs.

6) Invitation to come to Nigeria to visit a potential client. In that case, the scammers sometimes do not hesitate to pay for the plane tickets themselves. As soon as the victims arrive at the airport, they are invited to take a taxi to the agreed place... where the crooks kidnap them and demand a ransom.

7) If the victim becomes aware of the fraud and informs his correspondent, letters will follow from 'lawyers' and other intermediaries to recover the money for you… subject to new payments.

8) The scams also come from chat or email 'friends'. The scenario goes like this: one gets to know someone on the internet (but never using a webcam). The person is posing as a European or North American, or a Nigerian. One makes friends. This so-called friend must then go to Nigeria on a professional basis, or he/she decides to join you in Europe. In Nigeria, he/she is then robbed, has an accident, and has to be hospitalized. (the latter is sometimes reported by a so-called doctor), or does he/she have problems with the police or a combination of these problems? The friend - whom you have never seen - urgently needs money to be able to return, pay the hospital, pay the police or immigration officers, and asks his/her virtual friend for that money. This always concerns attempted fraud from Nigeria.

As mentioned, these are just SOME EXAMPLES, in reality, there are many other constructions and the boldness of the scammers is limitless. For example, they no longer hesitate to create fake websites to deceive their victims.

 
How to recognize a 419:

Several form elements allow you to recognize a 419 fraud. For example, you can pay attention to the following:

1) (for companies) you are invited to enter into a 'business relationship' with a shady Nigerian partner. Your correspondent reports that he came to your address 'through the commercial section of the embassy in Lagos'. This service does not exist.

2) Correspondence is usually done via email, or via 'cut and paste' composite faxes. Sometimes letterheads from all kinds of government agencies are cut out and 'treated', sometimes it is real letterhead that is passed on to accomplices by less honest employees of the public company or ministry. The emails are relatively easy to debunk. The correspondent works with a public e-mail domain (Yahoo, Hotmail,…) often with a first name and surname as the first address component.

3) An excellent means of recognizing false letters: the correspondence is almost always written in poor English. Especially the difference between singular and plural is rarely respected. Sentence structures are opaque. The language is bombastic and sometimes makes no sense at all. Correspondence reaching you in this kind of English is best ignored anyway.

4) Many letters and faxes are richly provided with all kinds of 'stamps' with the buzzing words: official, confidential, confirmed, etc… In general, the more such stamps on an 'official' paper, the less chance that it will be an official piece!

5) The correspondent's addresses and telephone numbers are often transparent. Sometimes it concerns a mere PO box address (in that case the fraud is certain). Phone numbers must have at least a two or three-digit prefix and an actual number of at least six digits to be somewhat credible. Companies with only a mobile phone number are suspect.

6) The profits suggested in the 'trade proposals' are always very high and commercially completely unrealistic.

7) Usually an element of urgency is built in. If the Belgian correspondent does not respond within a certain (short) term, he risks losing the entire lucrative contract. The 'urgency' of the case must of course ensure that the Belgian firm no longer has the time to assess the seriousness of the transaction.

8) It is often mentioned that a Belgian firm was 'specially selected'. It is in no way clear how that selection would have happened.

9) It is also often stated that this is a 'confidential' transaction and that there is therefore no official quotation. The lack of press releases about government procurement is explained in the same way. Sometimes it is even the case that the fraudster himself suggests that a less correct procedure is being followed and that you should therefore not publicize the case.

10) The red light should definitely (and brightly) come on if correspondence, by any means, asks to transfer MONEY or forward your bank details. The requested sums usually fall into the 'acceptable' category, around €6000. The reasons given for the payments are as diverse as the types of scams themselves: 'registration', 'administration costs, 'work permits', 'authorizations' etc., etc. If one proceeds to an initial payment, further questions are guaranteed to follow for more money due to 'technical complications', 'currency risk', 'law firm costs', etc. This is the beginning of a relentless stream of further money demands. There are known cases of victims who over years paid increasing amounts in the hope of eventually recovering their money.

 
How to respond:

If it is a fraud: simply ignore the correspondence. Never transfer bank details and certainly do not transfer money if you are not 100% sure of the correspondent's honesty.

NEVER give details or information about yourself or your family, your bank account number, or credit cards to people you do not know well, including in correspondence or over the telephone.

When in doubt about a 'company': request a 'company profile' by e-mail, and ask for brochures, possibly supplemented with trade figures, etc. that can substantiate the credibility of the company.

One can of course always try the telephone numbers mentioned in the correspondence.

When in doubt: ask the embassy for a check. In the case of 'government correspondents', the embassy can find out relatively easily whether the government service concerned exists and whether the correspondent is employed there. Keep in mind that the embassy has to process a lot of questions and cannot always respond to your question immediately.