Internet & Telephone Solicitations

Internet E-Mail Scam

Credit repair

Remove Damaging Information from your Credit Report. These scam artists claim they can get truthful information removed from your credit report for a fee. Not true. Accurate information can be reported for five to 10 years. If your report has errors, you can get it corrected at no cost to you through the credit reporting agency. In addition, nonprofit organizations can help you rebuild your credit at no cost.

The FTC has published free consumer brochures on each of these scams. They describe in a little more detail how the scams work, and offer tips for recognizing and avoiding them. Copies of the brochures are available from the FTC's Public Reference Branch, Room 130, 6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580; 202-326-2222; TTY for the hearing impaired 202-326-2502.

Nigerian Advanced Fee Scam

An unsolicited letter from Nigeria arrives purporting to be from a high government official or officer of the Nigerian National Oil Company asking if your company can help him (or them) move tens millions of dollars from a contract "overpayment" out of Nigeria. In return for the help, they offer to let you keep multi-millions of dollars. All you have to do is give them all your financial information and an "advance fee" to pay for transfer costs. You will never see your "advance fee" again if you fall for this one.

This scheme has been going on at least since the 1980s. Local authorities seem to be helpless to stop this fraud, as it is based in Nigeria or another West African country where the legal systems are either corrupt, inept or controlled by dictatorship. The only recourse you have is to press your national and local governments to withhold business and investment from the countries sheltering this fraudulent scheme.