Advance-Fee Fraud Schemes

How it Works:

• The victim is required to pay significant fees in advance of receiving a substantial amount of money or merchandise.

• The fees are usually passed off as taxes, or processing fees, or charges for notarized documents.

• The victim pays these fees and receives nothing in return.

Perhaps the most common example of this type of fraud occurs when a victim is expecting a large payoff for helping to move millions of dollars out of a foreign country. The victim may also believe he has won a large award in a nonexistent foreign lottery.

Operation Cyber Sweep:

The Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC), a partnership between NW3C and the FBI, in coordination with state and local law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Federal Trade Commission, and the U.S. Dept. of Justice offer details on a national take down effort highlighting recent Internet crime investigations stemming from IFCC referrals.