Charity scams
As one avenue is closed to a scam artist, so they will attempt to open another. As ‘chip and pin' techniques are introduced to help reduce credit card fraud, so the fraudsters look to other means of stealing money.
One increasing method is the ‘Charity Scam'. A victim of this scam will receive a letter or an email from someone – a young girl, for example - in a country such as Uganda. The letter will set out a very sad story detailing the hardship that the girl has experienced, and will end with a request for money to help fund her education.
This, the victim would be told, would enable the girl to advance herself and to help her family to improve their life. If the victim decides to act on the letter, he or she would send a cheque for a relatively small, probably reassured that they are not handing over their credit card details.
However, West African organised criminals have a reputation for expertise in forging and altering cheques and financial documents. Once they have received the cheque, it would be copied along with the victim's signature.
The cheque number would then be changed to a higher number, to reduce the chance of it showing up in the clearing bank system as a duplicate. It could then be cashed to whatever amount of money the criminals want to take.
The scam appears to be a new twist on the infamous 419 Letter scams. As with all such scams, it pays to be alert and cautious about any mail you receive requesting money. If you are unsure about something, then always seek help.