State officials say Iowa is being flooded with faxes from criminal gangs in Nigeria, faxes which Iowans shouldn’t touch “with a ten-foot pole.” Bob Brammer, spokesman for the Iowa Attorney General, says the fax-scam is very official looking and offers big money returns.
A similar scam surfaced in the state about a year ago. The faxes promise the possibility of getting millions of dollars from sources in Nigeria but are “a pure scam” according to Brammer. He says the faxes urge “utmost secrecy and urgency” but should really just be thrown away.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, have been sent to Iowa fax machines this week. Brammer has not heard of any Iowans being duped, yet, and he warns people to chuck the faxes in the trash — do not call or email the senders information, and certainly don’t send them money.
Brammer says the scam takes many forms. A Sioux Falls church was told a missionary in Nigeria had died and left the church three million dollars, but to get the money, the church was supposed to send 90-thousand dollars in taxes. For more information, call the Attorney General at (515) 281-5926.