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Tom Muleya-Fraud Insight
The increasing population in the usage of mobile technology is highly favouring and making it easy for fraudsters to dupe unsuspecting victims in advance fee fraud
Advance fee fraud is an old type of fraud in the criminal enterprise that became common in Africa, and popularly known as the “419 Fraud” in the early 1980s. Many victims today still fall into these scams due to the insatiable desire to become rich overnight. Criminals know that anything that promises a person to be an instant millionaire will always attract their targeted victims. The frequency at which these advance fee fraud messages are sent on mobile phones is increasingly worrisome and people must exercise extreme care on how they handle these messages.
Advance fee fraud is a form of fraud and one of the most common confidence tricks. In this fraud, fraudsters target their victims and fleece them to make an advance or make upfront payment for goods, services, and or financial gains that do not materialize. Some types of advance fee fraud amongst others include; beneficiary fund scams, lottery scams, investment scams, and romance scams. Currently, fraudulent advance fee messages involving winning in the Covid-19 settlement are in circulation.
In order to avoid falling victim to advance fee fraud, consider the following prevention measures;
Avoid keeping fraudulent advance fee message to yourself hoping to pull a surprise by becoming an instant millionaire. Ask someone or enquire from the nearest police to verify the authenticity of the information.
Do not respond to the text or e-mail sent to you by the solicitor as doing so increase your chances of being defrauded.
Use your common sense. Why should you get excited on winning prize money on a completion you have never been a participant?
Never advance any money. Scammers or 419 fraudsters make their money through advances made to them, once they get your advance fee, you will not hear from them anymore.
Be wary of too good to be true offers. No matter how good the offer may appear, you are not lucky to win prize money in a foreign land competition. If it were a genuine award, the host country will make communication with our authorities; so information will not be restricted to you alone.
Do not rush. The use of threats to lose your prize money on failure to meet the deadline is just meant to put pressure and give you no room to think.
Never base your decisions on appearance. The fact that the offer involves huge prize money should not influence your actions. The amount is just a front or bait to make you get over excited and then advance your money.
Report to the police before many people fall prey to the scammers.
Think. One of the best God-given resources available to all mankind is the ability to think. Remember fraudsters take their time to think in order to come up with the best fraudulent schemes that cannot be easily detected. So you need to think too before making an advance payment.
Take responsibility. Ensure to take measures that will protect you against advance fee fraudsters.
Get empowered by Fraud Insight and be part of a solution to the problem of advance fee fraud. Watch out for the next issue.
For your feedback, WhatsApp line: 0772 764 043, or e-mail:[email protected]. Tom Muleya is a Detective Assistant Inspector working under the Criminal Investigations Department. Harare. He is also a member of the National Cyber Security Taskforce, Zimbabwe.
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