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The Nigerian 419 Scam
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The Nigerian 419 scam is well known. Unfortunately, it still works. Mugu!
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The 419 Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud is an illegal, internationally operated, multi-billion dollar industry. The number 419 refers to a section of the Nigerian criminal code. This scam has been around since long before the Internet was popular; the Internet has just made the scamming process much easier. Note that the scam is no longer limited to Nigeria.
The 419 scam promises a substantial reward if the victim will put up their own money for a short period of time. There is a little larceny in all of us, and some people smelling big money will quickly fall for this one.
The scammers scour private Websites and e-Bay for large, expensive merchandise offered for sale. They will probably offer their victims a favorable price without asking too many questions. Since the item is expensive to ship, they will provide a local agent to handle those details.
It is likely that, owing to another deal the scammer had with that agent, he will send you a cashier's check for much more than the necessary amount, and he will ask you to wire the agent the monies he is due. You will be well compensated for your merchandise and you will receive extra money for working with the agent.
Two items of note
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When you sell merchandise, it is highly unusual to send your money to someone else to complete the deal. Being asked to wire money to a total stranger should raise a red flag, but when greed is involved that does not always happen. That is why this scam continues to work.
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One would not purchase a horse, a piano, or large machinery without asking a number of key questions. All too often the scammer does not seem to be interested in these details.
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Another version involves political upheaval, a large amount of funds in a bank, and your assistance in getting those funds out of the country. Again, you will receive a cashier's check and you will have to send money to someone else, keeping the difference for yourself.
Your bank must verify the authenticity of every instrument it processes, including money orders and cashier's checks. Long after the agent has received the money you wired him, your bank will advise you that the cashier's check you gave them was bogus. They will want their money back. You will soon find that your friend overseas, and your money, are long gone. Mugu!
| Mugu is a term for a fool. Scammers refer to their intended victims as mugu. Mugu is also a state park in California, however, we are not aware of any relationship that might have with Nigeria, unless recent earthquakes have re-shaped the continents to a greater degree than was previously thought. |
A number of scams use the same basic technique: You are asked to pay money up front to receive money. The situations may vary but the end result is the same. You are going to lose a LOT of money.
In one variation of the Nigerian scam, you are offered a loan but you must make a payment up front before you can receive your payout. That should wave a red flag because if you had money to pay up front, why would you need the loan? Legitimate banks may take fees from the proceeds of a loan but they will not ask for money to secure a loan. But people in desperate need of money don't always notice what is happening to them.
Websites Featuring the 419 Scam
Scamming the scammers has gotten to be a hobby for some people. |
| View a number of 419 scams at Bait a Mugu. This site has links to a number of other sites. |
| Many address books have been flooded with visitors leaving e-mail addresses at Mugu.Com. The Mugu address is a calling card left by the spammers to mark a guest book as having been harvested for e-mail addresses. There is now an actual Mugu.Com domain that has nothing on it, save for information about the scam. |
| Danielle Gowler has been scamming the scammers. When they offer to buy her horses she strings them along, extracting checks and running up substantial postage charges. Danielle has documented a number of scams in which she became the prey. Some of the exchanges are rather humorous. |
Danielle has posted an exchange between a scammer and Kristin Metivier. Please be sure to visit the rest room before reading this one! It really gets hilarious when she returns from vacation and winds up in the hospital after trying to have her Brazilian wax treatment fixed by a rookie. ROFLPIPHAHA Rolling on floor laughing, peeing in pants, having a heart attack. .
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| The Busted Up Cowgirl strikes again. This time her horse, a mare, is suffering from a penile ailment. This horse is an excellent chicken racer that not only has changed gender, it has changed species. Yes, this horse becomes a Doberman dog. Please don't read this if you need to use the rest room any time soon. |
| NetCraft reports that the Mugu Marauder screen saver has brought down some scamming Websites, or at least driven up their bandwidth usage. Some of these are fake banking sites that suppoort the illusion of areal banking institution. We do NOT recommend using one of these.
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| Learn more about the latest frauds on Mugu.Info. |
| Enjoy another mugu baiting scheme. The scammer is a Nigerian named G.O Ebaye. His intended victim is Bucky, the president of Weeinthebed Holdings. Need we say much more? |
| A horse forum has a thread that discusses this scam. |
| If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. If there is a sense of urgency about it, or if you are being asked to lay out your own money up front, it REALLY probably is too good to be true. |
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By: Bob Morrisson
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