Perpetrators of an Advance Fee Fraud (AFF) can be very creative and innovative. These schemes can use the following tactics:
- An individual or company receives a letter or fax from an alleged “official” representing a foreign government or agency;
- An offer is made to transfer a sum of money, possibly millions of dollars in “over invoiced contract” funds, into the individual or company’s bank account;
- There may be an encouragement to travel overseas to complete the transaction;
- Blank company letterhead, forms, bank account information, telephone/fax numbers and other personal information may be requested;
- Perpetrators provide numerous documents with official looking stamps, seals and logos testifying to the authenticity of the proposal;
- Up-front or advance fees for various taxes, attorney fees, transaction fees or bribes are requested;
- In some cases, perpetrators may send nominal amounts of money to the intended victim, in order to establish his/her confidence;
- Once the perpetrators have received an initial up-front fee, requests to invest additional funds to complete the transaction follow;
- Other forms of schemes include: c.o.d. of goods or services, real estate ventures, purchases of crude oil at reduced prices, beneficiary of a will, beneficiary of a life insurance policy, recipient of an award and paper currency conversion.
Consumers who are contacted by an off-shore perpetrator of an AFF scam are recommended to not respond to the inquiry.
