Dr. Nuutz Onurchin Rides Again
After a 23-year hiatus, Dr. Nuutz Onurchin returns with uproarious tales of scam-baiters turning the tables on those pesky 419 email fraudsters. Stayed Tuned for our new upcoming podcast, where education meets entertainment, and watch as we hilariously dissect and defeat email scams one grift at a time!
Advanced Fee Scam / 419 Scam
It's a Confidence Game
The confidence game, also known as a con or a scam, has a long and colorful history dating back centuries. One of the earliest and most famous examples is the Spanish Prisoner scam, which originated in the early 19th century. In this scam, a fraudster would claim to be a wealthy person imprisoned in Spain under a false identity and would seek the victim's help in securing their release in exchange for a share of hidden treasure. This classic con has evolved over time and can be seen in modern variations like the Nigerian 419 scam.
Confidence games have always preyed on human traits like greed, vanity, and the desire for easy wealth, making them a persistent and ever-evolving form of fraud. The term "confidence man" was first used in 1849 to describe a thief who gained people's trust to steal from them4. Despite the passage of time, the essence of these scams remains the same: to exploit trust for financial gain
Advanced Fee Scams, often referred to as "419 scams," trace their roots back to Nigeria in the early 1980s. The name "419" comes from the section of the Nigerian Criminal Code that addresses fraud. These scams typically involve a fraudster promising the victim a substantial sum of money in return for a smaller upfront fee to cover administrative costs, taxes, or bribes. The scammer often spins elaborate tales involving inheritance, lottery winnings, or business ventures to lure the victim into paying the initial fees. Despite various efforts to crack down on these scams, they remain prevalent due to the allure of easy money and the anonymity provided by the internet.
Sources: Yale Law and Humanties, Wikipedia, newworldencyclopedia.org
The Grift
BOARD OF TRUSTEES PETROLEUM
RESOURCES COMMITTEE
Fax: 234-1-7594304 ATTENTION: THE PRESIDENT/CEO REQUEST FOR BUSINESS AND CO-OPERATION
I am MR. TOBI C. WILLIAMS, Chairman of the Petroleum Resources Committee. Terms of Reference:
My terms of reference involves the award of contracts to Foreign Multinational Companies and Corporations. My office is saddled with the responsibility of contract award, screening, categorization and prioritization of projects embarked upon by Petroleum Resources Committee (PRC) as well as feasibility studies for selected projects and supervising the project consultants involved. A breakdown of the fiscal expenditure by this office as at the end of last fiscal quarter of 2001 indicates that Petroleum Resorces Committee paid out a whooping sum of US$736M(Seven Hundred And Thirty-Six Million, United States Dollars) to successful Foreign contract beneficiaries. The PRC is now compiling beneficiaries to be paid for the Second and third Quarters of the 2002 fiscal year. The crux of this letter is that the Petroleum Resources Committee deliberately over^Öinvoiced the contract value of the various contracts awarded. In the course of disbursements, this department has been able to accumulate the sum of US$38.6M (Thirty-eight Million, six hundred Thousand U.S dollars) as the over-invoiced sum. This money is currently in a suspense account of the FMF account with the Debt reconciliation Committee (DRC) and has already been approved for payment in this year's supplementary budget allocation by the Federal Ministry of Finance (FMF) and awaiting to be immediately wired out of the country.
My duty as Co-ordinator of this project, is to solicit your unalloyed co-operation and assistance to enable us pull out this funds into any foreign account owned by your goodself and covered by a foreign company's name to be used. Your co-operation in this business is essential, because members of the committee involved in this business are personalities who have attained impeccable track records of probity in the Civil Service of Nigeria and as such are not permitted to operate Foreign Account in discharging their functions as members of the Petroleum Resources Committee (PRC). Hence my role as the co-ordinator of this laudable project.
NOTE: This business is 100% full proof, genuine and risk-free. Hence the need for Strict and Absolute Confidentiality till the end is All Important. Furthermore, sharing of this fund after remittance into your provided bank account will be done as follows: 70% for us here in Nigeria, 25% for you the Account owner and 5% to cover as re-imbursement, any expenses which may be incurred in the course of transferring the funds into your account. We estimate that this project will last for Two weeks only, given your fullest co-operation. All enquiries should be directed to the undersigned by FAX and or by E-MAIL. Trusting in a good and long lasting business relationship with you. I will await your reply immediately through Fax No. 234-1-7594304 and or by mail. Thanks for your anticipated co-operation and God bless.
Yours faithfully,
ENGR. TOBI CHRIS WILLIAMS
Chairman, Petroleum Resources Committee (PRC)
Fax: 234-1-7594304 E-mail: stbwills@mail.com