Avoid common Internet fraud & scams

While most individuals who use the Internet have success with buying, selling or renting, from time to time they do get contacts of people attempting to scam or defraud them. The best ways to avoid this problem is to ensure that all transactions take place locally and in-person.

Posting adverts concerning real estates for sale or rent in Portugal are common targets of fraudsters and fraudulent inquiries about properties for sale and rent are increasing. The good news is that fraud attempts are generally easy to identify if you know the system.

If you suspect a fraud attempt, please be very careful before accepting any offer to buy, sell or rent. We present here some information about common scams, and some actual examples of fraudulent emails below. Please read this information carefully.

Precautions

• When buying or selling, you should meet in-person to see the product and exchange funds.
• Never send or wire money to sellers or buyers. This includes never mailing a cheque or using payment services like Bidpay, Western Union or Money Gram to pay for items found somewhere on the Internet. .
• Never provide your personal or banking information (e.g. social insurance number, credit card number) to others over the Internet.
• Make yourself aware of common scams and fraud (see below). Do not believe the promise of large sums of money for your help in any task.
• Use common sense. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Take care about these following points:

1) A distant buyer offers a check (but fake) in exchange for your property:

• You receive an E-mail offering to reserve your property without seeing it beforehand.
• The cashier's check is offered as a deposit for your property, or just about anything else.
• The value of cashier's check often exceeds your reservation amount - buyer asks you to wire the balance via money transfer service.
• Banks will often cash these fake checks and then hold you responsible when the check fails to clear.
• The scam sometimes involves a 3rd party (shipping agent, business associate owing buyer money, solicitor etc).

2) A distant seller requests payment via Western Union or Money Gram:

• The seller often claims that an MTCN or confirmation code is needed before he can withdraw your money - this is false, once you've wired money, it is gone.
• Common items offered include laptops, plasma TVs, cell phones, tickets - but could be almost anything.
• Common countries of origin include Nigeria, Romania, Ukraine, Spain, UK, Italy and Netherlands - but could be anywhere.
• Deal often seems too good to be true.

3) A distant seller offers to send you a check and then make you wire money:

• This is nearly always a scam - the cashier's check is probably fake.
• Sometimes accompanies an offer of merchandise, sometimes not.
• Scammer often asks for your name, address, etc for printing on the fake check.
• Deal often seems too good to be true.

4) A distant seller suggests the use of an online escrow service:

• Most online escrow sites are fraudulent and operated by scammers.
• For more information, do a Google search on "fake escrow" or "escrow fraud".
• If you must do business with a distant seller, insist on a legitimate service, such as www.escrow.com.

5) A distant seller asks for a partial payment upfront:

• Scammer says he/she trusts you with the partial payment.
• Scammer may say he/she has already shipped the goods.
• The deal often sounds too good to be true.

6. "Phishing": Phishing is the act of attempting to fraudulently acquire through deception sensitive personal information such as passwords and credit card details by masquerading in an official-looking email, IM, etc. as someone trustworthy with a real need for such information.

• A bank will NEVER ask you to confirm your either your bank number or access codes. You will receive it in a letter addressed to your permanent address. If you lose it, or decide to change it for any reason, you will likely incur a service charge.
• For additional and up-to-date information on phishing, please review the Wikipedia entry located here.

How to protect yourself:

• Do business locally! Research the sender's location by looking up his/her city by IP address in a "whois" directory (for example, visit www.dnsstuff.com and use the CITY BY IP ADDRESS box) ;
• Do not conduct business with anyone unless you are sure the offer is legitimate;
• Do not include your email address in your adverts.
• In general, avoid accepting cheques;
• For local police help, call a non-emergency police number.

Additional resources:

• Scam Victims United.
• BBC News article "One in 20 'fall for online fraud".
• ZDNet article "Phishers get personal".
• Wikipedia entries on Internet fraud.

Several examples of fraudulent emails:

Hello Seller,
I hereby wish to inform you that I am interested to purchase from you.
Your best offer ?
Are you the owner?
Tell me is condition?
To let you no that payment we be made by CHEQUE.
If its still for sale ,provide the details below .
NAME
ADDRESS
CITY
POST CODE
STATE
COUNTRY
PHONE
LAST OFFER
I look forward to do business with you.
Thanks. 

my name is Lawrence I run a business in Nigeria and I would love to purchase your property.
Please inform me of its availability.

l got your contact for the sales of your villa, which I am interested in buying.
I want to know more about the conditions of the property including the construction year.
I will want you furnish me the last price you are willing to sell this villa. I want you to send me more pics of the villa if there is.
I also want to have your contact phone number for better communication.
Kindly get back to me ASAP.
Best regards
Tony Oxford

I saw your ad.  I am interested in buying it. I will like to know the present
condition of it and your last price you want to sell it. Payment will be through a certified cheque and shipment will be handled by my reliable shipping company so I want you to get back to me asap today
thanks’.

My name is Steven King, and I reside in the United Kingdom.
After much surfing of the internet, I came across your property, and as such I am interested in making a purchase of it. Therefore I will like to have your final asking price for the item, and I will also like to know how u will like to be paid, though my preferred payment method is through check.
Hope to hear from you asap along with more pictures, and do have a nice day.
Regards

FROM MR. PATRICK CHAN

Let me start by introducing myself. I am. Patrick K. W. Chan Executive Director & Chief financial Officer of Hang Seng Bank Ltd. I have an obscured business proposal that will be of great benefit to you and me, it involves the transfer of funds and I need you to assist me in executing this business project from Hong Kong to your country. It involves the transfer of money. Everything concerning this transaction shall be legally done without hitch. Please endeavour to observe utmost discretion in all matters concerning this issue.

Once the funds have been successfully transferred into your account, we shall share in the ratio to be agreed by both of us. I shall furnish you with more informations about this transfer operation immediately i receive a positive response from you. I will appreciate your earliest response.

Kind Regards,

Mr. Patrick K. W. Chan  

Michelle Robert,
Abidjan Cote d4ivoire
West Africa

Letter Of Relationship and Establishment of aid

Good day,
Permit me to inform you of our desire of going into business relationship with you. I am quite aware that my message will come to you as a surprise because it is indeed very strange for someone you have not met before to contact you in this regard.

l am Michelle Robert, the only child of late Chief and Mrs Benjamin Robert, My father was a very wealthy cocoa merchant in Abidjan here, the economic capital of Ivory Coast, he was poisoned to death by his business associates on one of their business meeting. My mother died on the 20th January 1988 and my father took me so special because l am motherless.

Before the death of my father on 29th December 2008 in a private hospital here in Abidjan, he secretly called me at his bedside,when I sat down to listen to him, he started crying, why? (1) He complained that I am too young to be managing my life with no one to take care of me,(2)That I have not finished my university education as he planned for me, he revealed to me that he has a sum of US$7,500.000.(SEVEN MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS) he left in security firm here in Abidjan, that he used my name as the only child for his next of kin in deposit of the funds.
He also explained to me that it was because of this wealth that he was poisioned by his business associates , that l should seek for a GOD fearing foreign partner in a country of my choice where l will transfer this money and use it for proper investment purpose ,that I must finish my university education by the help of a business partner abroad,that he or she should help me obtain a resident permit in his or her country.

Please, I am now ready to do all these since my father my bread winner is no more. l am honourable seeking your assistance in the following ways.

(1) To serve as my guardian in your country while I will depend on your expert advise since l am only 22 years.
(2) To make arrangement for me to come over to your country in order to further my university education and to secure a residential permit for me in your country.

Moreover, l am willing to offer you 15% of the total sum as compensation for your assistance in the transfer of this fund to your country. Furthermore, you can indicate your option towards assisting me as l believed that this project would be concluded within seven days you signify interest to assist me by standing by me as my foreign trustee / guardian.

Hoping to hear from you soon. May God bless you as you as you extend your helping hand to an orphan.
Best wishes
Michelle Robert

Sir,

I am the confidential secretary of the Lagos State Governor in Nigeria. Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) My boss is in search of a private property in your country.

I got your contact from the Ministry of External affairs as a real estate agent hence I decided to contact you.

Write ASAP and let me know if you can be of assistance in this regard.

Yours sincerely,

Collins Banjo

My Name is madam Maria Savimbi from Gold coast. I want instrust some money in your care to carry out charitable work in your country. Due to my critical health condition and other circumstances which I will explain to you when I hear from you. More details on your relpy. 

Dear Sir,

Due to the present political position of my boss and also the implication of transferring such a lump sum of money through bank to bank transfer, my boss has worked out a safe way in transferring the fund to your country. There is a Diplomatic Courier Company here that will transfer the fund in cash to your country. This is the best way for fund to be transferred out without trace or problem from the EFCC. The amounts to be transferred are US$10M and when it gets to you, take care of all the necessary formalities to purchase the properties in the name of my boss wife which I will send later.  

The balance you will keep until the arrival of my boss wife in your country. So all I will request from you before the arrangement is made for the transfer of the fund to your country are as follows.

1) Your full residential and office address including telephone and fax numbers.

2) A copy of your National Identity Card, Driver’s license or International Passport.

Once I receive the information above from you, the process of transferring the fund to you in your country will commence.

You are however to keep this matter confidential as my boss is still in power.

I thank you for your understanding.

Best Regards

Collins

Another type of fraudulent emails not related to real estate:

Dear Sir/Madam,
My name is Diane Campbell; I work with the Consulting Firm in London. We are conducting a standard process investigation involving a client who shares the same name with you and also the circumstances surrounding investments made by this client at HSBC Bank Plc.
The HSBC Private Banking client died intestate and nominated no next of kin to inherit the title over the investments made with HSBC Bank Plc. The essence of this communication with you is to request that you provide us information on three issues:
1-Are you aware of any relative/relation having the same surname, whose last known contact address was Brussels Belgium?
2-Are you aware of any investment of considerable value made by such a person at the HSBC Bank Plc.?
3-Can you establish beyond reasonable doubt your eligibility to assume status of next of kin to the deceased?
It is pertinent that you inform us ASAP whether or not you are familiar with this personality that we may put an end to this communication with you and our inquiries surrounding this personality.
You must appreciate that we are constrained from providing you with more detailed information at this point. Please respond back to my private and direct email address; As soon as possible to afford us the opportunity to close this investigation.
Thank you for accommodating our enquiry.
Yours sincerely,
Ms. Diane Campbell
Consulting
For: HSBC Private Clients  

A real story: