Nigerian Letter Scam strikes yet again!

Since June this year, four such arrests have been made by various police stations in Mumbai. Going under various disguises like the Advance Fee Fraud, 419 Fraud, The Nigerian Connection or the Black Dollar Scam across the globe, but the modus operandi is all the same.

The variations of the Nigerian Scam are very creative and virtually endless. In some cases, once the advance fees are paid, further complications arise. The victim is asked to make more payments. This exchange of money continues until the victim either quits or runs out of money. Another popular excuse for delay in payment is that the consignment is stuck in a foreign port and is expected to arrive shortly. It is a wait that never ends.

According to various international published reports, the Nigerian Scam is the third to the fifth largest industry in Nigeria! Monies stolen by 419 operations are almost never recovered from Nigeria. Most 419 letters and e-mails originate from or are traceable back to Nigeria. However, some originate from other West African nations.

Of course, when Vishal declined the invitation to visit South Africa, he had no way of knowing that even though he may have lost a considerable amount of money, he managed to save his life by declining the offer. There have been cases of victims in the United States, who have taken up the offer and have gone to collect their commission and they never made it home.

Subhash Patil is another victim. It's a part of his life that he wishes he could erase. Life had been much better for the 46-year old former policeman. He had bought a house and a car but everything changed in December 2003. Between jobs and looking for work over the internet, Patil had been offered $4.5 million. All he had to do was help Jude Dmole, a Nigerian businessman invest $15 million in India's booming real estate market.

Patil recalled, "I got an e-mail in December 2003. I had to give him $12,000 to receive the consignment."

He was initially sceptical about the deal but the man was lured by Jude's polite manner and smooth talk. After a few e-mails, they exchanged phone numbers and started planning where the money would change hands. In Septemeber 2004, six months after they had exchanged the first e-mail, Patil took a Jet Airways flight to Delhi from Mumbai to meet Jude's accomplice, who would hand over a part of the $15 million. Patil had borrowed the Rs 2.75 lakhs from friends and gave it to David, Jude's acomplice in Delhi who delivered the promised suitcase, with what looked like $15 million.

He recalled, "He opened a bag full of black notes. He plucked a few out of them and washed them in a solution - they magically turned into crisp $100 bills." Satisfied, he took the bag full of $15 million and flew back to Mumbai.

For Patil, the timing was perfect. He had always dreamt about migrating to a foreign country. With the money in hand, it seemed like a possibility to start something new. To make things worse for himself, Patil borrowed another Rs 4 lakhs from his friends.

His world came crashing down, when he realized he had been duped. He had to sell his brand new Tata Indica and flat in Nagpur to repay the Rs 6.75 lakhs that his friends had loaned him. Today, he lives in a rented apartment. The piles of black plain paper and the chemical used to clean the 'dollar' notes are all that's left, to remind him of the carefully crafted fraud.

This is a scam with a history of successful entrapment but the Uncovered team nailed them at their own game. They caught earnest looking Nigerian businessmen looking for a victim, red-handed. They were exposed in a series of raids. While authorities all over the world are learning to deal with the fraud, India is fast becoming a favoured destination for the crime. Nothing pays as much as staying away from such false deals.


Mehak Kasbekar, Shiril Mani & Manali Rohinesh