Also known as advanced fee fraud (AFF),
4-1-9 scams are named after the section of the Nigerian penal code that deals with fraud.
Although originally originating in Nigeria these scams can originate from anywhere.
If you fall for one of these at best you will lose thousands of dollars;
at worst you will lose your life.
These usually start with an email from a bank official
or the relative of a recently deceased African president
or a government minister informing you that they have access to millions
of dollars but need your help to get the money out of the country.
The end result is that when the deal is threatened
you will be asked for money to secure the release of the funds.
Do not under any circumstances reply to these letters,
people have been murdered while following up with these scams.
Phishing scams can be very elaborate,
scammers send out emails to millions of
internet addresses purporting to be from a financial institution,
and requiring you to log in and confirm your details.
The email looks authentic and contains a link that you need to click.
If you happen to have an account at the bank featured in the scam then
it's a very natural thing to click the link and login to "your"
account except it's not your account or even your bank.
It will be a website setup by the scammers to extract as much information from you as possible,
Name, Address Credit card details, Bank login, Password, PIN number etc.
Once they have these details it is very likely that will
have access to your funds and in the worse case your identity.
Avoid these scams by never clicking on a link in an email like these,
Banks do not sent out emails requesting you login and confirm your details.