The Embassy of The Netherlands in New Delhi and the Consulate General in Mumbai, have received numerous inquiries from Indian citizens regarding the legitimacy of certain solicitations they have received via mail or e-mail. The solicitations promise job opportunities or large sums of money in return for the payment of certain advance fees. Some solicitations concern foreign lotteries. The solicitations name businesses allegedly registered in The Netherlands, or other European countries, as the source of the monetary or other transaction.

The Embassy would like to alert Indian citizens that these solicitations are likely to be fraudulent and connected to well-known financial scams, originating in West Africa in the 1980s. These financial scams have become so widespread that they are known to national and international law enforcement authorities as the 'Nigerian bank fraud', 'Advance Fee Fraud', 'Section 419 Fraud' etc.. Foreign lottery fraud is a distinct type of fraud, but the methods of operations are quite similar.

A few common traits of the 'Advance Fee Fraud' solicitation are:

* Job offers in medical and technical professions are made with promises of high remuneration and very attractive benefits, however for obtaining work permits etc. a considerable amount of money has to be paid in advance

* A large sum of money from lotteries, investment schemes, oil sales, bequest, real estate, business failure, etc., will be made available if the recipient pays in advance certain fees associated with the release of the funds

* To initiate the transaction, the recipient must contact an official of the alleged business in The Netherlands

* Contact with the "official" occurs via a cell phone; in The Netherlands, this can be identified by a phone number beginning with (0011) 31 6.......

* Attempts to verify the business address with online business directories or the local Chamber of Commerce fail.

If you suspect that you may be the target of one of these schemes, please view the information on advance fee fraud on the website of the Nigerian Embassy in The Netherlands:  www.nigerianembassy.nl.

If after reading this information, you are still uncertain about the nature of the solicitation, please contact the Embassy of The Netherlands in New Delhi or the Consulate-General in Mumbai.

New Delhi, May 2008.