Crimeline of Southern NH doesn't believe enough publicity has been given to email scams that frequently con naive citizens out of large sums of money. For example, you might receive an email from a person who wants to invest $4 million in the US, stating the investment funds are in a Swiss bank. There will be a tragic heart rendering story about him being a refugee in a war torn country like the Benin Republic where life is difficult for him, the government is unstable and there is sporadic fighting. To give himself creditability he will site that he is the son of a late general or politician. The general or politician's name will check out. He wants you to be his business partner. He asks for your phone number and email address. Don't do this.
Benin is a small country in West Africa that is home to many scammers who will try and set up lucrative import contracts. They will set up a deal that requires that the products have to be registered with the government. These registration fees run into the thousands of dollars and have to be wired by Western Union where the payments are untraceable.
Upon the first reading one should realize it's a scam but yet, people are always looking for a big payoff, whether it's a lottery or a business venture. More people than you think are taken in by scams like this, especially older citizens, many of whom are trying to set up a money source for their family after they pass.
If you have any thoughts about contacting one of these individuals do yourself a favor and Google them. There are numerous sites that you can view and learn that there are at least 229 fraud lines and more than 400 scams associated with this African nation. Once your money is sent, it’s gone and you have no recourse to getting it back.
So do yourself and your family a favor and delete these emails. Remember that old saying, “If it sounds too good to be true it probably isn’t.”
On a more local note, if you have any information about any crime, call Crimeline of Southern NH at 603-893-6600 or at 1-800-498-4040 or go online to www.crimelinesnh.com.
Your call will be completely anonymous and you will be issued a secret Crimeline number, known only to you and Crimeline. The caller could earn up to $1,000 form Crimeline. Please, if you know of any crime and who is responsible for it, be a good citizen and make the call.
