FRAMINGHAM, Mass., March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Process Software LLC, a HALO
Technology Holding company and premier supplier of networking and messaging
software solutions to mission-critical environments, announced they have
published a series of articles documenting the infamous Nigerian email scam.
They include how it works, who is behind it, and why it has been so successful
at defrauding money from victims for over a decade.
Nigerian email schemes are very crude financial scams that begin with the
intended victim receiving an email message from an alleged official at a
foreign bank, corporation, or government agency. Scammers will attempt to
gain the victim's trust, and then convince the victim to send them money.
Most of the scammers live in Nigeria, so this type of scam is called a "419
scam" after the section of the Nigerian penal code that deals with fraud.
"Process Software conducted this research to illustrate to email users the
financial scams behind spam email messages, which in some instances have been
tied to organized crime," said Brian McDonald, Process Software President and
CEO. He added, "The risks can be reduced through user education and an
effective spam filter such as our PreciseMail Anti-Spam Gateway."
The research is based on a Process Software email security expert's
interaction with scammers. There are several variations of the Nigerian scam,
but the common thread is that the victim pays a relatively small amount of
money up front (usually several thousand dollars) in order to gain access to a
very large amount of money (usually several million dollars) in the near
future.
While there are several different forms of the scam, the most common (and
successful) one involves a fictional transfer of funds into the victim's bank
account. This scheme begins with the scammer sending an email message to a
large number of potential victims, whose addresses usually come from
professional directories, trade journals, and website guest books. Out of the
thousands of initial messages that scammers send, there are typically only 2
or 3 responses. A scammer will claim to be a senior official at a foreign bank
or government agency who is looking for a trustworthy foreigner to help them
get funds out of the country. One reason often given for this request is that
there is a pending disbursement of money from a will. There is a large amount
of money involved, usually between $10 million and $75 million to appeal to
the potential victim's sense of greed.
Scammers will first attempt to establish a rapport with potential victims
to determine whether they are interested in participating in the get rich
scheme. The need for secrecy is a common theme in email messages to potential
victims. Scammers also impose artificial deadlines to give the entire
transaction a sense of urgency. This way the potential victim will not have
time to realize that this may be a scam.
The real con begins once scammers establish a sense of trust with their
potential victims. Usually, scammers begin by requesting a relatively small
amount of money (around $1000) to cover "legal fees" required by the transfer
of funds. Forged documents and invoices are often used to support these
claims. If a potential victim provides the initial requested investment, the
scammer will begin to request additional sums of money to cover bogus fees and
taxes. Victims will often continue to pay additional fees to avoid losing
their investment. Scammers will invent reasons for their victims to send more
money until they have no more money to send.
In some cases, scammers have induced their victims to travel to Europe or
Africa to meet them so the transaction can be conducted face-to-face. At least
one US citizen has been murdered in Nigeria by a 419 scammer and/or an
associate, and many others have been reported missing under similar
circumstances.
Process Software develops PreciseMail Anti-Spam Gateway, an enterprise
software solution that stops 98% of spam at the Internet gateway or mail
server without filtering legitimate messages. To read the series of articles
titled "Exposing Nigerian Email Scams," visit http://www.process.com/nigerian.
About Process Software
Process Software (http://www.process.com) is a premier provider of
communications software to mission critical environments. With over 20 years
in business, Process Software serves thousands of customers, including many
Global 2000 and Fortune 1000 companies. The Process Software product portfolio
includes a suite of TCP/IP applications and service for HP systems running
OpenVMS, PMDF Messaging Server, and PreciseMail Anti-Spam Gateway.
About HALO Technology Holdings, Inc.
HALO Technology Holdings, Inc. is a global provider of a diversified range
of standards-based enterprise software applications and on-demand solutions.
HALO's strategy is to acquire and operate private and public enterprise
software companies with a commitment to sustainable growth. HALO portfolio
companies focus on customer service, product quality and profitability to
build long term customer relationships and ensure customer satisfaction today
and into the future. Everyday, leading corporations and institutions,
including companies like IBM, Phillip Morris, John Deere, Merck, Boeing,
Bacardi, Motorola, The Home Depot, Southern Company and thousands more, rely
on our portfolio companies to deliver high quality, enterprise class software
and services on a global basis. For more information, please see our website
at http://www.haloholdings.com.
Contact:
Process Software
Lauren Maschio
Director of Marketing
(508) 626-7525
maschio@process.com |
