City of York Council's trading standards team is concerned at the number of residents and local businesses receiving e-mails from Nigeria about schemes to transfer money.

Official looking letters, allegedly from a range of government offices or agencies such as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the National Petroleum Corporation, offer large payments to recipients willing to facilitate money transfers through their bank accounts. The letters appear to offer plausible reasons as to why the senders cannot arrange the transfer without the help of a third party.

However, those who agree to participate are asked to pay a number of fees or, in some cases, money is taken directly out of the account once the account details have been supplied.

Elizabeth Levett, the council's trading standards manager, said, "These schemes are fraudulent. Anyone tempted to get involved in such a deal and divulge information will not only fail to receive any money but may lose a substantial sum.

"The Fraud Squad and the Nigerian Government are aware of these letters and we would advise people to ignore them as attempted participation in these schemes is likely to leave speculators considerably out of pocket."

ENDS