If something seems too good to be true . . .
CMAJ 2000;162:1662
On Apr. 13, 2000, I received a letter from a Nigerian philanthropic foundation informing me that I had been awarded an unsolicited research grant worth US$125 000 (see www.canmed.net/fraud/). There was also an option for a 50% bonus following submission of a satisfactory progress report on my research. The letter added that a detailed accounting of how the money would be spent would not be necessary, although it was not to be used for military research or for human cloning studies. I also had to agree to present an expenses-paid lecture on my research at a Nigerian university and to return 2% of any licensing fees generated from the sale of my research results. All I had to do was send 4 passport-size photographs, along with a handwritten letter of acceptance. I was also to provide my CV and complete a detailed form indicating my address, passport and driver's licence numbers and other information.
The RCMP's Commercial Fraud Division confirmed my suspicion that this was a scam, although it had an interesting twist because it was aimed at medical researchers, not business people. In my case, the passport photos and detailed personal information would likely be used to assume my identity in some fraudulent transaction, perhaps passport fraud. In similar scams originating in Nigeria and carried out with business people and lawyers, an individual would receive a letter indicating that someone needed the recipient's assistance to get money out of the country and to help launder it. The recipient would receive a generous commission for his or her efforts. Later, the person would be asked for a substantial sum to pay for taxes or bribes, after which the money would be able to leave the country. The explanation offered would always be plausible. Of course, that would be the last the dupe would hear.
Not everyone I showed my letter to recognized it as a scam; many people even offered me hearty congratulations. Undoubtedly, the people sending the letters are hoping plenty of naïve researchers will regard the offer as genuine.
Investigator beware!
D. John Doyle
Department of Anesthesia
Toronto General Hospital
Toronto, Ont.
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