Scams Warning
Security Warning: Internet Scams in Cameroon
The U.S. Embassy in Cameroon is experiencing an explosion of internet fraud. The numerous scams target innocent people and often appeal to the good nature of their victims. The U.S. Embassy hopes this message will help alert the public to such scams in Cameroon. You may contact the Embassy’s commercial section or consular section before agreeing to send money to Cameroon for any reason.
Adoption/Wildlife Scams
Some of the most popular scams request the assistance of the victims to take care of a child that a parent can no longer care for and forcing them to put the child up for adoption over the internet. Some adoption frauds claim a priest in charge of a Cameroonian orphanage is seeking a good home for a child. Frequently the baby in question is a white female baby, often reported to be the child of missionaries. Other common scams have to do with the sale of wildlife, including birds (often parrots), dogs, and monkeys.
The scammers, often posing as priests or nuns, will begin a relationship with the victim by asking for small amounts of money, which will increase as time passes. These increases will be for numerous reasons, such as court costs, airport fees, customs duties, and medical costs. These scams will claim the fictitious baby or animal will be abandoned at the airport if they are not able to pay a non-existent fee and the victim will stand to lose thousands of dollars. The U.S. Embassy notes there are strict regulations regarding international adoptions, and individuals should not respond to offers of adoption presented in the internet. Additionally, legal issues surrounding endangered species are similarly problematic, and any attempt to purchase wildlife through the internet should be avoided.
Business Scams
The business establishment scams work on the false premise that the government has dictated all companies wishing to do business in Cameroon must be registered in Cameroon. The scammer will claim to be a government official who can guarantee that a contract will be given to the intended victim’s company. For their work, this fictitious government official will ask for a small commission, to come from the money the Cameroon government will pay for the goods. The victim is asked to add one dollar to the value of the goods sold, which will pay for the fictitious government official’s commission, and the seller will not lose money in the transaction. However, in order to get the large contract, the victim will have to register their company in Cameroon, which will satisfy the false legal requirement. The fictitious government official will introduce the victim to an attorney who will help the victim navigate through the business registration process. When the victim makes contact with this purported attorney (likely to be the same person), the victim will be given instructions regarding the registration process. While the various attorney, government, bank, document, and office fees may seem reasonable given the large profit promised, the victim will ultimately have paid thousands of dollars for a transaction that never takes place.
Another recently recorded scam involves individuals claiming to possess large quantities of vegetable oils (soybean, cotton, palm oils or Jatropha plantation) to supply raw materials for the biofuels industry. The scammer usually sends out a sales agreement asking the victim to sign and provide bank details including an irrevocable LC (Letter of Credit). He will also claim to possess samples ready to be shipped to the victim, a well calculated ploy to encourage the victim to start sending money, usually in small amounts but gradually increasing. In fact, Cameroon does not possess export production capacity for any such products. Local production is insufficient to meet domestic demand and the international market price for these vegetable oils is far lower than the domestic market prices – hence there is no economic incentive to export. In most business scams, transactions are requested to be carried out via Western Union or Moneygram rather than through reputable banks.