E-mail Scam Offers Big Rewards to Unsuspecting Readers

Just what is this "Nigeria scam" we're hearing about? Several UTSA staff members have received the "Nigeria Scam" e-mail messages -- so called because the messages usually appear to have originated from Nigeria or another African country.

Basically, the scam attempts to dupe recipients into providing their personal bank account numbers, authorization codes and other identifying information by return e-mail with the promise of a large deposit of up to $26 million being made into the account. Of course, the opposite will happen, and any money in your account will be gone before you can even check on it.

The message is long and provides an extensive account of a senior government official or business executive having been victimized by political enemies and who now needs assistance to get personal monies out of the country.

By providing your bank account numbers, you would assist the official in recovering the personal funds, which would then be split with you for your assistance. Many different repayment scenarios are presented, such as a trip out of the country.

If you receive a "Nigeria scam" e-mail or any e-mail message that seems suspicious, the UTSA Office of Information Technology (OIT) asks that you do three things:

Do NOT respond to the e-mail.
Forward the e-mail message to University Police Crime Prevention Officer Robert Kolar and/or OIT Electronic Security Officer Annette Evans.
Delete the message immediately.