Advance-Fee Fraud | Prepayment Scam: The Major (Email) Scam

What is advance-fee fraud and how does it work?

Almost everyone with an email address who uses it regularly has already come into contact with advance-fee fraud or attempted advance-fee scams. Advance-fee scammers usually rely on simple bait techniques; who hasn’t experienced it: you receive an email from an unknown sender promising unexpectedly lucrative services or a multi-million fortune. Either immediately or by the second email at the latest, it is made clear that the recipient must first make an upfront payment: a processing fee, a broker commission, or taxes and charges before the promised consideration can be delivered. The amounts requested are always modest compared with the promised gain. Using forged documents from partially real, partially fictitious authorities and banks, victims are credibly assured that the transaction is genuine and that the business partners can be trusted. However, after making their payment, victims wait in vain for any consideration, as there was never any intention to transfer the promised money, deliver the goods, or appear at the agreed meeting point.

 

A preliminary note: Investigating such cases afterwards is normally neither simple nor associated with a particularly high success rate. Nevertheless, there are almost always points of approach and thus hope. If you have become the victim of such a scam, do not hesitate to seek a non-binding consultation from Kurtz Detective Agency Düsseldorf about our options for identifying the perpetrators: +49 211 9874 0021.

The Nigerian Scam as a Classic Example of Advance-Fee Fraud

Most experienced internet users may think they could never fall for an email scam. Yet it is clear that if this type of fraud were not regularly successful, it would not be so omnipresent. Even if one is not directly harmed, it can occur that one becomes indirectly affected – for example, when scammers successfully defraud public funds. A “classic” email scam case demonstrates this: in Ennigerloh, in the Warendorf district of Münsterland, the mayor and municipal officials were deceived in the early 2000s by a social welfare recipient claiming to have over 30 million dollars in a Nigerian account. The city paid the Nigerian 285,000 DM (approximately 140,000 euros at the time), as he claimed he needed the money for transferring the funds and covering hotel expenses locally. In return, he promised to donate double the sum to the city. That the mayor was voted out and the city administration became a laughingstock goes without saying.

 

With the support of our business and private detectives from Düsseldorf, this would of course not have happened, as we have dealt with the various forms of these scams for many years and can expose even the most professional attempts through analysis and verification of the provided framework data. Not all email scams are as obvious as the Ennigerloh case; successful scammers are usually highly creative criminals, and many new forms of prepayment fraud have emerged since.

Advance-Fee Scammers with Increasingly Elaborate Schemes – Kurtz Detective Agency Düsseldorf Warns to Stay Vigilant

Simple email scams with “African princes” and similar schemes have now evolved into many other forms of advance-fee fraud. Ultimately, all operate on the same principle: promise an inheritance, a mega-deal, or a romantic connection, gain trust, indicate fictitious costs, receive money, drain the victim financially until the cash flow stops, and then move on to the next victim. This includes alleged million-dollar inheritances like the Nigerian scam, lottery wins and dividend payments (fraud with promised gains), credit scams, or fabricated online romances (Love Scam or Romance Scam), in which enamoured victims transfer large sums to their “partners” to arrange meetings, apply for visas, or help sick relatives.

 

Advance-fee fraud is not limited to emails. The initial contact can also be made by phone, personal visits, via websites, classified ads, flyers, or postal mail. In general, prepayment fraud takes on many forms, as we will illustrate below.

Prepayment or Advance-Fee Fraud in Vehicle Purchases

Advance-fee fraud is also commonly encountered in the vehicle trade, especially with used vehicles. If a car, motorcycle, truck, or boat is offered far below market value and an extremely rapid transaction is requested, caution is advised. If the “seller” insists only on an initial payment before the vehicle is delivered, there is a high probability of a prepayment fraud attempt. The deposit is paid, but the alleged seller is then unreachable. In most cases, the vehicle was never in the possession of the fraudster. Fake contact details and identity documents are often used; sometimes even the identities of real dealers are misused to create an appearance of legitimacy.

 

The scam can also work in reverse: scammers pose as buyers of new or used vehicles, pay the sellers – often without further negotiation – with a cheque mistakenly written for an inflated amount, and then request a cash refund of the difference. When the seller attempts to cash the cheque after returning the difference, it turns out to be worthless – leaving the seller without money or vehicle.

 

Victims should not despair: there is always a chance to apprehend the perpetrators, for example if the fake or misused business information is reused in other scams. Our investigators generally advise checking suspicious offers or buyers through our business detectives in Düsseldorf before completing a purchase.

Caution with Apartment and Holiday Scams

Whether on a business trip to Brussels or London, city breaks in Rome or Budapest, exploring Austria or Poland, or beach holidays in Barcelona or Rügen – doubts are advisable, especially for dream apartments in prime locations at low rent. Fraudsters often pose as landlords living abroad who supposedly want to rent out a second property cheaply but cannot show the apartment personally. According to the experience of our Düsseldorf detectives, the key is then promised by post after the first rent and deposit are transferred to an escrow account or similar. The offer is often enhanced with attractive cancellation policies such as “If you don’t like it, return the key and receive your money back.” However, the sum is withdrawn shortly after payment, and the property at the supposed address turns out to be completely unrelated – a perfect scam. Authorities abroad are often unwilling to assist tourists. Identifying the account holder and locating them is the task of private detectives such as those from Kurtz Detective Agency Düsseldorf.

 

Prepayment fraud also occurs with full holiday packages. Flyers or mailings promise cheap individual or package trips without agency fees. Photos on more or less professional websites make the offer more appealing. Booking often requires only a prepayment of the total price, which must be made immediately, while the holiday never takes place. Our business detectives from Düsseldorf usually get involved only after payment and the realisation that it was all fraud. Yet even then, analogue and digital investigations can achieve results, as no fraud is so perfect that it leaves no trace.

What Can Our Private Detectives from Düsseldorf Do? How Can I Get My Money Back?

The earlier our Düsseldorf private detectives are commissioned, the higher the chances of success. We are able, in cooperation with police, authorities, and contacts, to gather information about the scammers and determine their true identities. Research into alleged buyers, lovers, travel providers, or landlords can quickly and court-admissibly verify whether these persons or companies actually exist or whether only the impression is created using fake documents, fake social media profiles, or other purported identity proofs.

 

If money has already been transferred, investigations can be very difficult, especially if funds were transferred abroad, routed through other accounts, or withdrawn. However, it is not necessarily lost, as our Düsseldorf private detectives are globally networked with other qualified investigation offices – often through long-term partnerships – and can pursue investigations abroad to apprehend perpetrators and recover money or, depending on the case, goods. We generally advise against blindly transferring money without at least performing a basic authenticity check via Google search. Likewise, copies of ID documents, bank details, or other private information should not be shared unless it is certain that the company or contact is trustworthy.

Commissioning Kurtz Detective Agency Düsseldorf

If you or your business have been affected by advance-fee fraud, you can contact our private detectives in Düsseldorf at any time. We provide prompt, competent advice, work efficiently and goal-oriented, respond to your requirements, and are available around the clock.

 

You can reach us at any time by email (kontakt@kurtz-detektei-duesseldorf.de), via our contact form, or during business hours from Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 20:00 under the following number: +49 211 9874 0021.

Author: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

 

Kurtz Investigations Düsseldorf

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D-40237 Düsseldorf

Tel.: +49 211 9874 0021

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