The infamous and prolific Nigerian scam, also known as the “419 Scam,” has re-emerged and is targeting unwitting overseas Filipino workers, the Department of Foreign Affairs warned on Wednesday.
In the scam, an OFW’s hacked e-mail account will send several mails to his/her contact list soliciting money from unsuspecting friends and relatives. The e-mails, purportedly from the victim claiming he/she was robbed while in Nigeria, asks to remit US$2,500 in order for her to return to Manila.
“The public is advised not to send any money or divulge personal information, particularly bank accounts or credit card number if they receive similar e-mails,” the DFA said.
According to the DFA, a Filipino national was the latest victim of the Internet-based modus operandi that has been ranked by the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency as the top Internet scam of 2007. [See: Detailed list of the top 10 Internet scams preying on OFWs]
This current 418 scam is a variant of the previous Nigerian modus operandi, where a woman in Africa who claimed that her husband had died, offers to leave millions of dollars of his estate to a good business.
“In every variation, the scammer is promising obscenely large payments for small unskilled tasks. This scam, like most scams, is too good to be true. Yet people still fall for this money transfer con game,” the POEA said.
Meanwhile, the DFA reiterates its warning to OFWs and their families who might be lured to remit money just to ‘save’ their loved ones. [See: Primer on Internet Scams]
“The public is advised not to send any money or divulge personal information, particularly bank accounts or credit card number if they receive similar e-mails,” the DFA said. – Joseph Holandes Ubalde, GMANews.TV
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