Facebook: “A donation of 470,000 euros” – be careful, advance payment fraud!

Be careful if you come across status posts on Facebook promising a large donation - they are advance fee scams!

There are currently increasing cases of baiting on Facebook, which can lead to advance fee fraud. The story of a terminally ill woman touches many Facebook users. But unfortunately, those behind such generous offers of money don't want anything good for their victims.

It's about stories like this one:

I would like to make a donation of 470,000 euros to a specific, understanding and honest person.

I'm in big trouble but I can't die without giving all this money or I think it was a waste.

Because the banking law says that if you have no family and die, the money goes back to the bank.

I'm in a lot of pain and very anxious because I don't want to die without giving all this money, otherwise I think it would be a waste.

I have the official and legal documents regarding these funds in my notary office.

Above all, it is important that we create a basis of trust between you and me in order to bring this project to a successful conclusion.

Please contact me directly via my email as soon as possible if you agree with my offer. …

The fact check

Both the police and we have been warning about this scam for years, which may also be closely related to the romance scam . Using a pretext - usually a terminally ill person, a soldier stuck abroad or other emotionally appealing stories - the fraudster tries to gain the trust of his victim in order to ultimately ask for money himself before accessing the victim's supposed assets perpetrator can be accessed.

The Nigeria Connection
Such status posts as shown above are 99.9% advance fee fraud .

Such offers have been sent out in abundance in the past, be it by email or via social networks... In the end, these fraudsters only want your money.

This scam is not new, but it is still very current.

Such fraud attempts are sent, among others, by the so-called Nigeria Connection , which tries to wrap its victims around its finger in order to be able to ask for a financial advance due to the emotional closeness that has arisen.

Anyone who accepts the above-mentioned offer can be almost certain that they will have to shell out transaction fees of several thousand euros before they can enjoy the 30% treasurer's share - or not, because this money most likely does not exist .

However, the Nigeria Connection is not a structured organization. These are different groups of African fraudsters, some of whom live in Europe and some in Nigeria.

These internet fraudsters specialize in credit card fraud, document forgery, advance payment fraud and much more. on Facebook with many fake profiles for some time .

They contact unsuspecting Facebook users, gain their trust and after a while pretend to be in financial distress.

The fraudsters have a very specific prey scheme : the main target group of their victims is

• female
• reasonably intelligent (must have at least a good knowledge of English)
• single
• middle-aged (very young women do not yet have any financial resources)

A clearly recognizable, smiling face must be visible in the profile photo of the selected victim, because the fraudsters refer to this in their first contact attempts.

What are the characteristics of such fraudsters?
Unfortunately, a completely precise description is not possible because these criminals are extremely creative and of course adapt to the circumstances.

However, there are some basic criteria that you can pay attention to in order to protect yourself: The scammers are alleged

• about the age of the victim
• professionally more in middle management
• divorced, but widowed much more often. Her children have either also died or the man supposedly has to look after them alone.
• The Facebook profile is not particularly informative; there are no visible postings.
• The fraudsters appear remarkably empathetic.

And this is how they do it:

• Initial contact via message. All communication is in English.
• Profile picture: not unattractive, but not an “Adonis” either. In the case of alleged inheritances, very elderly, amiable people
• Report-like CV, e.g. B. “My parents died in an accident, my wife died giving birth to our child.”
• Questioning the targeted victim (= looking for weaknesses)
• Vows of love that no real man would utter sober.
• A sudden event occurs, e.g. B. “Pirates are coming” (= most bizarre version). However, the story is often coherent in itself - as a justification for the resulting emergency.
• Request for a financial loan (amount in the four-digit euro range) using massive, emotional pressure and presenting so-called “evidence” as a file
• After receiving money – money gone. Unknown admirer, of course, or died early - and no longer entitled to the inheritance

What can I do if someone like that writes to me?
Unfortunately, this form of fraud is something of a “gray area” from a legal perspective.

Unfortunately, the damage that such a fraudster can cause can hardly be repaired in practice to date. That's why you should take a close look at your potential Internet acquaintances.

• Don't give out too much information about yourself.
• Don't accept suspicious friend requests.
• If it has already happened: Hide your own contacts.
• Be careful with information about yourself: you don't tell complete strangers your fears, dreams, family situation, etc.
• Distrust is appropriate when the unfamiliar person uses nicknames and the term “love” relatively quickly.
• For the brave: shorten the whole thing and either announce your own arrival or immediately ask how much money you need.
• For the sensible: Block and report to Facebook to protect other future victims.

Summarized:

There is probably no inheritance, no treasure, no money.

And there is hardly anyone on the Internet who is so kind and friendly - and who really wants to give away their money.

So do the same - and don't blindly give away money to internet acquaintances you've never met in real life!

[mk_ad]

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Article image: Screenshot / Facebook