Most people online are very familiar with the Nigerian Email Letter Scams. They've victimized thousands over the years and continue to do so. I am certain you've received many in your inbox over the course of your online experience. They are easy to recognize to the experienced. But if you are new online check out the following signs. These words are usually included (IN BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS) in the subject line.

DEAR SIR/MADAM

YOUR SOLICITATION

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED

IMPORTANT

PLEASE SIR/MADAM

I BEG YOUR ASSISTANCE

YOUR ASSISTANCE

URGENT

FROM MR.....

FROM MRS.....

A REQUEST FROM MR (FILL IN THE BLANK)

Did you know, according to online resources, these emails also originate in Ghana, Togo, Benin.

Even more surprising, according to online resources, is that many of these swindlers are not even staying in the country the solicitations originate from. Their home base might be in Europe, Canada, even the United States!

What can the average online business person do to avoid these scammers?

Plenty!

Read On!

How The Scam Works!

The scam artist proclaims he is an exiled leader or person connected with a former regime. The scammer tries to convince you he was forced to leave his/her home country by new government officials.

Next, they will claim to have a large sum of money, usually millions of dollars, which needs to be transferred to a "safe bank" outside of their country. They must do this before the money is confiscated by greedy government officials.

They would like to transfer this huge sum of money to your personal bank account (lucky you?) You as the owner of the bank account are promised a large percentage of their millions!

Next, they might request you send them your bank account info, a copy of your business letterhead, your business card. Many will then ask the victim to send good old American Dollars to cover transfer taxes in advance!

These Internet Fraud Artist are very adept at baiting a hook, tossing out a line, and reeling in potential victims. If you receive one of their fraudulent email pleas for help contact your local authorities or email provider immediately.

Signs Of An Email Scam Follow:

• Any deal too good to be true.

• Email originates from Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Europe.

• Letters claiming ties to high ranking government officials.

• Request for advance payment in US dollars for transfer fees.

• Request for personal banking information.

• Statements you have a undisclosed mutual friend.

People Most susceptible To Scams:

• People looking to get rich quick.

• Naive types.

• Newbs online.

• The Elderly.

Take the time to pass the information on to defeat Internet fraud artist. Only through education, awareness, and taking responsibility will these fraud artist be stopped.

by BB Lee (C)2004

About The Author

BB Lee is editor/publisher of SmallBizBits Business Newsletter.

Subscribe Now for information on starting a business at home.

mailto:Smallbiz-subscribe@topica.com

http://www.smallbizbitsnews.com

smallbizbits@yahoo.com

---

MORE RESOURCES:

RELATED ARTICLES Viral Marketing - Your Key to Gaining New Clients Email newsletters are an excellent means of promoting the products and services offered on your Website. Adding two simple tools to your newsletter can dramatically increase your readership. Benchmark Study of Email Database Services -- Email Appending and ECOA Match Rates Revealed --NEWTON, MA, (November 3, 2004) - FreshAddress, Inc., a leading email services provider, released the industry's first benchmark data on email appending and ECOA (Email Change of Address) solutions. Great Response by Auto Responder 1. Collect leads with your autoresponder. 10 Netiquette New Years Resolutions Happy New Year! New attitude? New habits? How about 10 Little New Year's Netiquette Resolutions?Yep! Almost every New Year's resolution is based in improved attitude and habit changes. From loosing weight to getting out of debt to trying to live a happier life, almost each of us does have some sort of conversation with ourselves in regard to the New Year and changes we have the control to make. Email Marketing - The End Is Nigh! Consider if you will the resources, the time and the financial investment given to attracting new web traffic. Banner advertising, link exchanges, search engine ratings, affiliate schemes and the list goes on. A Cool Email Communication Tip If I sent you an email that said: "The Big Bear is being replaced by Giant Eagle." you probably would have no idea what I was talking about. A Review on Email Go Getter System (EGGS) A Review on Email Go Getter System (EGGS) by Martin LeeEGGS is a new autoresponder system that I have started to use recently. The main difference between EGGS and other commercial autoresponders out there is that EGGS is hosted and run entirely on your own web server. Email Marketing - How Best To Manage and Distribute Your Messages This holiday season 15 percent of consumers in the US plan to buy online, spending an average of $585. That's 9 percent more revenue for online merchants in comparison to last year's results. DoubleClicks Q3 2004 Report Shows Bulk Email Marketing Eficiency Increase Wednesday, December 15 2004 at 16:00 EET Internet marketing company DoubleClick published its final report over the bulk email marketing evolution this year. The figures show year-over-year increase in delivery rates (cleaner emailing lists), and a decrease in open rates and click-through rates. Interview With Michael Murray: Autoresponder Basics This interview is with Michael Murray, the author of a top selling ebook titled "Autoresponder Basics." Michael is also involved with many excellent affiliate programs. Six Tips for Nonprofit E-mail Success An opt-in e-newsletter is one of the most effective marketing tools you can use because it is fast, personal, and inexpensive. Many small businesses are using e-mail newsletters to introduce themselves to new customers and to communicate with existing ones. Spam Check Your Newsletter for FREE Spam is a bigger and bigger problem nowadays. Recently Ralph Wilson, Paul Myers, and other Internet marketing gurus have written about the problems that spam is causing honest, hard working Internet marketers. Combating List Building Frenzy: Take The Time To Promote It is an accepted fact among the experts now that online marketing succeeds only with a quality, highly targeted permission email list in place. As a result, the multi-level marketers have pounced on this and everywhere you look another "matrix" lead generating system springs up. Autoresponder Services that Boost Your Business In the world of ecommerce, millions of sites are fiercely competing with each other to gain new clients. For any ecommerce site to succeed, it must capture the interest and the trust of its visitors. Protect Yourself from Being Accused of Sending SPAM Email is a vital part of doing business online, but are you setting yourself up for SPAM complaints? If you are accused of spamming, whether it's true or not, there are serious consequences that could potentially shut down your online business.Are Your Emails CAN-SPAM Compliant?The CAN-SPAM law has caused quite a bit of confusion about what is and is not acceptable when sending out business or commercial related emails. Turn Your Old Articles Into Profitable E-mail Courses If you've written numerous articles, you can use them to further promote yourself and your business, e-zine or web site.You can re-use your old articles by transforming them into another form of promotional tool. How to Make Your Email Smile Technology has a tendency to be impersonal and unfriendly - if you let it. Think of the last time you received an email from someone, read it, and said to yourself, "Boy was that a lifeless, mal-prepared, impersonal message - looks like Randy really cares to stay connected with me. Are Opt-in Email Lists Still Valuable in this SPAM Age? One of the things that the introduction of blogs has done is to cause an exodus of sorts from email newsletters or ezines to online publishers simply publishing the information on their blogs.It is not too difficult to realize why online publishers embraced blogs so quickly and enthusiastically. Autoresponders for Beginners Hi you may or may not know that your Autoresponder in your first few months promoting your service, product or opportunity, is the most important tool in your box!So, you have just joined your new business or taken on a new product that you would like to make you a few $ or a lot of $ on the net, first thing you must do is get yourself an Autoresponder.You can get them free from lots of places on the net if cash is tight, but remember if it's free then there will be a down side, like their ads on your mail, to your subscribers so think carefully on what you decide, as it's probably your single most important decision you will make!Right, let's get started. 20 Ways To Increase Your Traffic And Sales Using Free Follow-Up Autoresponder Courses An autoresponder course is a group of articles or information set up to be sent out separately over a set period of time by e-mail. People just e-mail your autoresponder to receive the free course and it is sent out automatically over time.