Excerpt from: RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Weekly E-zine Vol. 7, No. 14, 7 April 2004, Circulation: 840,331+ (c) 1998-2004 RootsWeb.com, Inc. http://www.rootsweb.com/ * * * 1c. TIPS FROM READERS. Old Scam Now Targeting Genealogists By Ed Criscuolo For 20 years or more, long before the Internet as we know it, there was a scam going on by mail known as the "Nigerian Scam" (also known as a "4-1-9" or "Advance Fee Fraud" scheme). Nowadays, it is done via e- mail over the Internet. Typically, messages from Nigeria (or Sierra Leone, or the Ivory Coast, or almost any other foreign nation) are sent to addresses taken from large mailing lists. They go something like this: A wealthy foreigner needs your help moving millions of dollars from his homeland to yours and will reward you with a hefty percentage of this fortune if you agree to assist him. In another variation: A church or religious organization is contacted by a wealthy foreigner who says he desires nothing more than to leave his considerable fortune to that particular group. Now there is a new variation, specifically targeting genealogists. In it, the scammer claims to have the same surname as you, and wants you to pose as his uncle (or other family member) in order to assist in claiming/releasing/transferring a large sum of money left by his late family, which he will share . . . Clearly this has been designed to prey on our usual eagerness to help out anyone with the same surname. After all, they might really be family. Should you agree to participate in this international bail-out, something will go wrong. Paperwork will be delayed. Questions will be asked. Officials will need to be bribed. Money from you, an insignificant sum, really, in light of the windfall about to land in your lap, will be required to get things back on track. You pay, you wait for the transfer . . . and all you'll get in return are more excuses about why the funds are being held up and assurances that everything can be straightened out if you'll just send a bit more cash to help the process along. Once your bank account has been sucked dry or you start making threats, you'll never hear from these scammers again. As for the money you've thrown at this -- it's gone forever. Information on this scam can be found at the 419 Coalition Website: http://home.rica.net/alphae/419coal/ RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Weekly E-zine Vol. 7, No. 14, 7 April 2004, Circulation: 840,331+ (c) 1998-2004 RootsWeb.com, Inc. http://www.rootsweb.com/ * * * Editor: Myra Vanderpool Gormley, Certified Genealogist [email protected] Certification: http://www.bcgcertification.org/certification/ =============================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. NEWS AND NOTES. 1a."RootsWeb DAFFYnitions: Geek to Me" 1b. Editor's Desk: Military Medals 1d. Tips from Readers: "Old Scam Now Targeting Genealogists" 2. Connecting Through RootsWeb: "Gold in California (lists, that is)" 3. New RootsWeb Mailing Lists 4. New Webpages at RootsWeb 5. New/Updated FreePages and HomePages 6. New User-contributed Databases 7. RootsWeb Review's Bottomless Mailbag: "Bounder, or Man on a Fast Horse?"; "Wobbling on Spellings"; "Perils of Family Lore"; "An Italian Rose"; "Gravestone Inscription Mystery"; "Updating E-mail Addresses on Trees"; and "Stamping Out Myths No Easy Task" 8. Humor/Humour: "Pushing His Luck" 9. Reprint and Submissions Guidelines; Help; Advertising Contacts * * * HOW TO HANDLE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION CHANGES Do not send any subscription requests or e-mail address changes to the editor. Please use these special e-mail addresses: [email protected] -- this adds you to the RWR Mailing List. [email protected] -- this removes you from the RWR Mailing List. If you need assistance with any RootsWeb resources or e-mail changes, kindly visit the HelpDesk: http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/help.cgi