RIYADH, 17 January 2006 — First, the messages — sent by SMS and e-mails — used to claim that their recipients had won a lottery. Now they have taken a considerably darker tone, even involving calls from human operators, claiming their recipients have been the targets of black magic. The only way to negate the effects of the alleged spells is to transfer money to an overseas bank account.

While most people are wise enough to ignore such a scam, some of the more superstitious are falling for the ruse. The scam almost always involves transferring funds or communicating with a person in an African country.

According to Mansour ibn Abdul Rahman, sociology professor at Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud University, said he received one of these calls from an Arabic speaker who informed him that he had been cursed by a colleague.

The caller then claimed that he could neutralize the evil spell provided a specified sum of money was transferred to a bank account in Mali. The operator even claimed he would reveal the identity of the colleague if payment were sent.

“I was so overwhelmed by the idea that somebody had cast an evil spell on me that I was close to falling for the scam just to find out whom they would say had done such a thing,” said Abdul Rahman. However, he hung up the phone.

A Saudi national familiar with this ruse told Arab News that it seems these tricksters have local accomplices who investigate their targets, digging up information that can be used to make the scam seem legitimate. It is a calculated gambit designed to put the victim on the mat. Once under the fraudster’s fake spell, the victim does his bidding with no questions asked.

Mohammed Al-Assiry received a similar telephone call, but his mental red flags popped up.

“The financial losses that these fraudsters cause to Saudis must come to an end,” he said, adding that anyone targeted in this crime should report it to the authorities for necessary action. He suggested that authorities should cooperate with their counterparts and set up sting operations with officials in the countries involved.

Fraudulent acts carried out against Saudi citizens via e-mail and telephone calls are on the upswing despite warnings by Saudi authorities. The legal department at the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry has been closely monitoring their activities.

Nearly everyone with an e-mail account has received the ubiquitous “Nigerian Scam” e-mail, named after the country most often cited in the message. The scam involves asking for help in claiming a huge inheritance, but once a person responds the person at the other end requests personal banking information that can be used in identity theft or other forms of fraud.

Now it seems the spam hustlers are taking more elaborate action to reel in unwary suckers.