A lot of people think that they are quite savvy which means that they believe they won’t be victims of crime. However, there are a lot of different frauds out there and you may not be aware of all of the different types of scams and frauds available. This is why you should avail yourself of all of the different frauds and here are free fraud types that you need to know about.
Online Dating Fraud
Of all the benefits of the internet, it has to be said that having the chance to meet people who share common interests and passions is one of the best things about it. If you struggle to meet people in real life, the internet can provide you with an ideal way to be yourself and find people who are like you.
It makes sense that this will also transform into the dating environment, and a lot of people have found love and happiness on the internet. This means that plenty of people will be looking to the internet and online dating as a way of finding their one true love.
Sadly this also means that there will be plenty of people who are looking to take advantage of these people. There will be some people who show a sign of desperation when it comes to finding love, and this can leave them open to fraud. This is a sad state of affairs but when you are looking for love and it becomes all encompassing, you will find that you don’t use the same judgment that you would normally do throughout your life.
One of the most common ways for fraudsters to make some money is to pose as the object of their affection and then undertake a lengthy online dating campaign. They will eventually say that they live abroad and that they cannot afford to meet in person. This is when they will either make requests for money to come and see them, or in some cases, they will be provided directly with money so that they can come and meet their new partner.
Sometimes the money is requested for medical bills, sometimes it relates to legal bills so that they can end a marriage or their life in one country and come and live with their new partner.
No matter the story, it is all lies and fraud underpins this form of activity. As soon as the money has been received, or when the fraudster feels as though they have banked all the money that they can bank, the relationship will end. This will leave the victim heartbroken and down an awful lot of money. As this sort of crime plays on the emotions as much as it does on the financial aspect, it can be a particularly harrowing crime.
The Advance Fee Fraud
This is one of the most famous types of fraud and you may know it as the 419 Fraud or the Nigerian Fraud. This form of crime was particularly popular in Nigeria and the 419 refers to the area of the Penal Code in Nigeria. This style of fraud can come in many shapes and sizes but the basic premise is that the victim receives an email or a latter promising them a huge sum of money in the future but they need to pay a small amount of money up front.
This may be a processing fee or as payment for legal costs or any other matter, but the crux of the fraud comes with the fact that the victim has to shell out before they receive their money. Once they pay out, they find that they receive requests to provide more funds or that correspondence just stops.
Boiler Room Fraud
The Boiler room fraud may not be as common as some forms of fraud but it can have a devastating impact on its victims. This style of fraud is usually conducted outside of the UK and its starts with a cold-call. The nature of the call is usually to present someone with a tremendous offer, such as shares or a land opportunity, that is available at a low price and which isn’t being made available to everyone.
While the rewards and return on investment are made out to be huge, there is actually no or very little return to be found from this investment. As the people operating these crimes are outside of the UK, there is very little comeback for the victims of this style of fraud, and a lot of people have lost considerable sums of money with this style of crime.
Andrew Reilly is a freelance writer with a focus on news stories and consumer interest articles. He has been writing professionally for 9 years but has been writing for as long as he can care to remember. When Andrew isn’t sat behind a laptop or researching a story, he will be found watching a gig or a game of football.
