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'Decoding Commercial Crimes' warns of 'AFF' |
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"You're entitled to an inheritance of US$30 million. To claim the inheritance, please remit US$50,000 to the following account.... Act now before the inheritance estate expires...' Does this sound familiar to you? Have you ever received any unsolicited e-mails or SMS inviting you to settle a levy or outstanding fee before inheriting an estate? Be aware because it's probably a scheme of Advance Fee Fraud (AFF). In brief, AFF is a scheme devised by swindlers to lure victims to pay a fee "in advance" for a bogus deal. Fictitious financial documents and false legal papers are usually produced as a "proof" of the sham deal. Another common modus operandi is fraudsters claim to be high-ranking officials of a government or agency in charge of the funds from a previous regime or inherited assets, and they need to transfer the funds to a foreign account. Victims are offered part of the funds as reward but are required to pay an advance fee for various taxes, expenses or bribes to facilitate the remittance. Police appeal to the public to ignore any unsolicited e-mails enticing them to participate in highly lucrative deals. Remain cautious to any offer that is too good to be true! Think twice if requested to make any payment. For more information and tips on preventing Advance Fee Fraud, surf RTHK's website at www.rthk.org.hk to see the related episode from "Decoding Commercial Crimes" on the "Police Magazine" TV programme. |
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