The Scam Email and LetterThe check scam is the part of the African scam that follows the scam letter. Many times, the 419 scammer will send an email via a mailing list to potential scam victims telling each one that a large fortune is waiting for them and all they have to do is to respond with some information. The scam letter can have a variety of themes such as the President of the Bank of Africa or the Central Bank of Nigeria giving money to the scam victim as part of an economic development plan. Another variant is the bank employee who has discovered a secret bank account with millions of dollars or pounds in it. The employee, who may be an account manager or bank director, needs the scam victim to act as next of kin so the money can be transferred out of the country. There is another theme that involves a dying person who has cancer or some other disease who wants to give the potential scam victim their money so they can set up a charity for orphans or some similar type of program. The Check Scam CommencesIf the scam victim responds and sends information to the scammer such as name, address, telephone number, etc. the scammer replies back saying that money is needed to pay certain expenses to get the money to be released to the scam victim. These expenses might include fees for legal paperwork or bribes to keep people quiet. The scammer offers to pay these expenses but in order to do this a check has to be cashed in the scam victim's country and the money has to be sent back to the scammer. The check scam begins at this point when the scammer sends the scam victim a fake check that looks real enough to fool a bank. When the scam victim receives the check they think it is a real check and then goes to cash it. If the scam victim does not have enough money in their account they might try to get a friend or relative to cash it for them. After the check is cashed, the money is sent back to the scammer. The Check Scam CompletesA short time later, the bank realizes the check is fake and takes the money out of the account where the check was cashed which could be either the scam victim's account or the person who cashed it for them. When the scammer receives the proceeds from the fake check, the check scam has succeeded. The scam victim falls for the check scam by believing that they will receive a large fortune.
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