How do the scammers operate?

Business Fraud:

The fraud scheme is largely the same, even though the stories are presented in slightly different forms time and again: The perpetrators contact individuals or companies in Western Europe or the U.S. via email or social media and offer to establish business relationships with them. Potential business partners are often promised high profits for relatively little effort. In nearly all cases, however, the victim is first required or asked to make some kind of “advance payment” before the “big deal” is finalized.

For example, the scammers may feign temporary financial difficulties that need to be bridged, or they may claim that a fee is necessary to obtain certain documents, secure the release of goods, or bribe officials.

The advance payment is generally neither repaid nor does the promised service get provided, nor is any profit realized. Instead, further advances are often demanded under new pretexts.

In some cases, the perpetrators claim to be reputable and socially respected individuals or businesspeople acting on behalf of or with the approval of high-ranking Nigerian officials. It is not uncommon for them to present forged letters, photos, identification documents, etc., for this purpose.

Love Scams:

In so-called “love scams,” initial contact usually occurs on dating websites or through social media. Victims are led to believe that someone from another country is interested in a romantic relationship. Initially, close contact is maintained via email or messaging with the recipient, leading to the development of an (apparent) romantic relationship and, in some cases, even an (apparent) decision to marry. At a certain point in the supposed relationship, the victims are asked by their supposed partners for money, often to apply for a visa or to prepare for a trip to Europe.

However, the perpetrators also do not hesitate to feign personal distress or captivity in order to elicit sympathy and financial support from the recipients.

The perpetrators often pose as Western European or American citizens living in West Africa and send forged passports—edited using Photoshop—as “proof.” Requests for video calls or similar forms of communication, on the other hand, are frequently rejected under various pretexts.

In all cases, money transfers are requested via Western Union, MoneyGram, or other money transfer services, as this method allows cash to be sent from one part of the world to another within minutes and also makes it difficult to track the transactions. The recipient does not even need their own bank account to receive the money.

The transferred amounts are not used for the stated purpose but are embezzled by the perpetrators and spent on their own needs. As a rule, there is no way to recover the money.

Examples of Internet Fraud:

Based on the experience of German diplomatic missions in Nigeria, the following scenarios occur particularly frequently:

• It is claimed that a special exit permit or a medical examination is required to leave the country, for which several hundred euros are quoted. Often, excessively high visa fees or airfare prices are also cited that do not correspond to reality.
• It is claimed that the acquaintance has been detained or even arrested at the airport and that a certain sum must be paid for their release or to allow them to continue their journey.
• It is claimed that financial support for urgent (life-saving) hospital stays or surgeries is essential, as medical treatment cannot otherwise be provided.
  
• It is claimed that travel documents are being held as a deposit at a lodging facility or hotel and will not be returned until the lodging costs or hotel bills have been paid.
• Recipients are promised high commissions or other financial benefits if they help transfer alleged corporate profits or inheritances worth millions to foreign bank accounts by covering wire transfer and attorney fees.
• Promised construction projects, public tenders, investment plans, or sometimes very specific business models that, at first glance, seem to fit the profile of the person or company being contacted in Germany, but are in reality nonexistent figments of the scammer’s imagination.

How can you protect yourself?

• If you receive a letter or email and suspect that it is a case of fraud, avoid making any further contact with the senders.
• In business transactions, do not make any cash payments, advance payments, or wire transfers without concrete consideration and effective safeguards.
• Under no circumstances should you disclose personal or business information, especially bank account and credit card numbers.
• Do not arrange any meetings—neither abroad nor in Germany—as there is a risk of kidnapping or extortion.
• Be sure to also warn your friends and acquaintances about this scam.

What can you do if you’ve already transferred money?

Since the perpetrators of online fraud are almost exclusively based abroad, criminal prosecution and the recovery of funds are extremely difficult.

Unfortunately, the Embassy or Consulate General cannot verify the existence or identity of individuals, companies, or addresses in Nigeria, nor can it verify the authenticity of submitted documents or identification papers.

The only way to potentially achieve anything through investigations abroad is to file a criminal complaint with the local police station in Germany that has jurisdiction over your residential address.

Depending on its assessment of the facts, the police station will then forward a corresponding international request to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), which—through Interpol and, if necessary, its own liaison officers—has the means to initiate investigations abroad to identify and prosecute the perpetrators or, in exceptional cases, to recover (at least part of) the fraudulently obtained funds.

However, the prospects of success depend, on the one hand, on the legal framework and the capabilities of the law enforcement authorities in the relevant country, and, on the other hand, on the available investigative leads—that is, the details you provide regarding the perpetrators and the money transfers made.

Contact Information

Diplomatic Missions in Nigeria

Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany

9 Lake Maracaibo Close

Maitama, Abuja

Nigeria

Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany

15 Walter Carrington Crescent

Victoria Island, Lagos

Nigeria

Please contact us using the contact form.

Federal Criminal Police Office

Click here to visit the Federal Criminal Police Office’s website

If you have any doubts about the credibility of a potential Nigerian business partner, you can contact the German Business Delegation (AHK) or the Nigerian-German Chamber of Commerce at any time:

German Business Delegation in Nigeria

Plot 1701 Violet Yough Close, House B,

Across from Protea Hotel, off Adetokumbo Ademola Street

Victoria Island, Lagos

Tel.: +234 1 270 0746, 2700747

Email: info@lagos-ahk.de

Click here to visit the website of the German Business Delegation in Nigeria

NGCC OFFICE (Nigerian-German Chamber of Commerce)

Plot 1701 Violet Yough Close, House B,

Across from the Protea Hotel, off Adetokumbo Ademola Street

Victoria Island, Lagos

Tel.: +234(1)270 1548-9

Email: info@ngcc-ng.com

Click here to visit the website of the Nigerian-German Chamber of Commerce

More information on this topic

https://www.polizei-beratung.de/themen-und-tipps/betrug/scamming/

https://www.polizei-praevention.de/themen-und-tipps/straftaten-im-netz/betrug

https://www.bka.de/DE/IhreSicherheit/RichtigesVerhalten/StraftatenImInternet/Spam/spam_node.html

https://www.romancescams.org/ (in English)