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types
This page considers some themes in 'Nigerian Advance Fee'
or '419' email messages.
It covers -
introduction
The preceding page provided an introduction to the 419
advance fee routine but it is important to recognise that
'unbeatable offers' (whether by email, snailmail, fax
or even VOIP) are limited only by the ingenuity and persistence
of the scammer and the greed or gullibility of the victim.
Email-based scams thus include the following.
'next of kin'
This scam alerts you to the demise of a hitherto unknown
relative and tempts you to claim a multi-million dollar
'inheritance' held by a bank, investment company or lawyer
(whether in a conventional account or as bullion, cash,
diamonds or other assets in the institution's storage
facility). The scammer typically collects money for bank,
transfer and facilitation fees.
personal laundry
The recipient is asked to assist the 'heirs' of a notable
(typically a deposed dictator, warlord or henchman) access
multi-million dollar funds held by a bank, investment
company or lawyer. The supposed heirs often vow to devote
their part of the loot to pious works, so that your cupidity
is legitimised by the smiles of widows, orphans, lepers
and beggars and phrases such as "God bless you for
heeding to the cry of a widow in need". The scammer
typically collects money for bank, transfer and facilitation
fees.
'Immanuel Agyei' for example claims to have discovered
US$14.7 million belonging to "one of our foreign
customers who died along with his entire family in a ghastly
wind".
I want you to present yourself as the next of kin through
your relation with the deceased, so that the funds can
be remitted into your account ... The reason for requesting
you to present yourself as next of kin, is occasioned
by, the fact that the deceased (customer) was a foreigner,
and we have access to his detailed bio data which you
will hold as a weapon to present yourself as the next
of kin.
The mode of sharing after a successful transfer of the
money into your account, shall be 35% to me, for the
role you will be expected to play in this deal, you
will take 35% of the total sum and we both mapped the
balance 30% of the total fund as a donation to the welfare
of those in needs. The 30% will be divided in two place,
15% will be donated to Liberian for the re-deveploment
of their country and 15% will be donated to the welfare
of those who lost their families, friends, loveones
and properties in the August 23, 2005 hurricane disasters.
Therefore, you are expected to reply this letter indicating
your readiness and interest to participate in this business.
After receiving your reply, you will be communicated
with the exact steps to take. ...
Please treat this business proposal as strictly confidential
for security reasons considering my official position
in EcoBank Gh Ltd and trust us that this transaction
is risk free.
Adim
Jibunor of the Continental Trust Bank in Nigeria wrote
to this site's webmaster asking "are you really dead?"
(alas no, Mr Jibunor, it merely smells that way) before
offering to share US$3.6 million from the estate of a
9/11 victim.
Haua Wiwa of the "Sea Air Diploamtic courier company,
Nigeria" more colourfully asks whether we are dead,
explaining that
this note was taken in my office where i was serving
verification documents to the White men. Mr Albert Evans
and Mr john Adams who stormed my office in company of
Mr. Gila Uwa (on white African attire). The white man
claimed to be your representative ...
lost and found
The recipient is similarly asked to assist a bank official,
lawyer, government supremo or other notable to launder
money supposedly held by a bank, investment company or
even storage company. The loot is typically an unrecognised
overpayment that must be transferred to a friendly jurisdiction
with the victim's help before the error is recognised.
As with the personal laundry scam, the fraud involves
the scammer collecting money for bank, transfer and facilitation
fees.
Other scammers simply announce that they owe you money.
Mike Ben, "casheir" of the Central Bank of Nigeria,
for example kindly offers us US$67m on that basis that
"your name and address is on the list major contractors
who have not received their payments for the Federal Plateau
Project". Strange, then, that he seeks the recipient's
full name; phone, fax and mobile number; position and
address; and profession, age and marital status. Shoe
size and hair colour apparently aren't needed.
Mr Ben says
We
apologies, for the delay of your contract part payment
and all the inconveniences and inflict that we might
have indulge you through. However, we were having some
minor problems with our payment system, which is inexplicable,
and have held us stranded and indolent, not having the
aspiration to devote our 100% assiduity in accrediting
foreign contract payments. We apologizes once again.
Can't
have too many apologies, it seems, when the payment system
is indolent.
she's your girlfriend and you'll cry if I
want to
In the dating scam the scammers entice the victim with
email or an entry on a matchmaking
site, often using photos lifted from another dating site
or from modelling sites. Once the victim is hooked the
putative friend 'encounters' an unfortunate series of
events such as being held hostage by a hotel owner after
his/her wallet is stolen, needs a new airline ticket,
has to bribe border officials and then bribe police to
get out of prison after being caught paying off the border
guards.
black gold
In what is sometimes characterised as the Nigerian National
Petroleum Co fraud the scammer offers cheap crude oil,
bulk grain or other commodities, then demands money upfront
for commissions and facilitation payments.
your lucky day
The scammer advises you that you have won the lottery
- although buying a ticket seems to have slipped your
mind - and all that is needed is a facilitation payment
or two before the big payout can be transferred to your
account. Sometimes you are lucky enough to have exactly
the same ticket, winning prizes in successive lotteries.
Ticket or file KTU/9023118308/03 (56475600545 188) for
example supposedly gives a UK National Lottery win of
-
- US$2.5m
(21 September 2004 draw)
- £0.23m
(12 February 2005)
- US$2.5m
(5 March 2005)
- £0.186m
(16 March 2005)
- £3.98m
(15 April 2005)
- £2.28m
(22 April 2005)
- £2.5m
(16 July 2005)
- £0.092m
(13 August 2005)
- £0.25m
(1 December 2005)
- £0.45m
(10 December 2005)
- £3.98m
(20 December 2005)
- £0.25m
(12 January 2006)
- £2.78m
(3 July 2006)
- £0.48m
(16 November 2006)
- £0.956m
(26 March 2007)
- £4.0m
(8 December 2007)
- £0.753m
(1 April 2008)
- £0.85m
(8 April 2008)
- £0.753m
(16 August 2008)
- £1.5m
(21 August 2008).
If
you believe the scammers it has also won -
- US$2.5m
in the 13 December 2004 SA Worldwinnings Sweepstake
Lottery
- US$2.5m
in the 27 March 2004 South African Lotto
- £1.5m
in the 9 July 2007 draw of the Irish National Lottery
- £1.35m
in the 11 July 2007 draw of the Irish Lottery International
Program
and
US$1.1m as a "Western Union Money Transfer"
with your name. By April 2010 the very same number involved payment by cheque of
US$750,000 from the 'Euro-Afro Asian Sweepstakes
Lottery International Program', sponsored by Bill Gates
of Micoroft [sic] to "to encourage the use of Internet
and computers worldwide"
N-222-6647, E-910-56 of the 'Chiesa Cattolica Italiana'
lottery supposedly gives US$650,000 (or £650,000)
to people on the basis of their email address. Alas, the
lottery people cannot seem to remember who is running
the supposed scheme, variously attributed to -
- Totti
Visco
- Deborah
Totti Vincenzo
- Executive
Rev. Sis. Diana Marco
-
Executive Rev. Sis Tema Ancelloti
- Rev.
Sis Hannal Pepo
- Exec
Sec. Miss. Mary Pepe
- Miss.
Mary Pepe
- Rose
Wood
- Eduardo
Rose
- Rev
Sis. Rose
- Rev
Sis Rose Eduardo.
The
same number - more miracles - is used to identify a £650,000
or US$500,000 or US$850,000 or US$1.3 million or US$3.5
million grant from -
- UK
Foundation for Basic Research - Mrs Marry Jack [sic]
or Executive Sec. MR. George Jackson
- Russian
Foundation for Basic Research - Executive Sec. Barr.
Brian Millavic or Mr. Lucas Giovanni or Ms Susan Millavic
or Ms Vikki Malcom or Mr George Sailor or Mr Andrey
Smith
- Italia
Foundation for Basic Research - Executive Sec. Mrs Millavic
Patrick or Mrs Patrick Millavic
- Italia
Foundation for Basic Research - Executive Sec. Mrs.
Susie Gianfranco or Ms Totti Vicenzo (on leave from
the Chiesa Cattolica Italiana?) or Rev Harry Smith or
Mr Vikki Malcolm (the latter presumably moonlighting
from the Russian Foundation to pay for the gender reassignment)
and
US$1.35m from the Fondazione Italcementi Cav. Lav. Carlo
Pesenti - Executive Secretary Mrs. Maureen Hartz.
Scammers purporting to represent the "Église
catholique en France" also offer "grants",
with the victims variously being directed to contact Rev.
Santini Benzima, Mr Santini Benzima, Mr Rolf Peterson,
Rev Frederic Jean-Louis, Mr Francois Eduard, Mr Francis
Edouard, Rev. Adrienne Fernande, Rev. Michael Dominique,
Sis. Mary Coupet, Rev. Sis. Nessi Laurent, Rev. Silvian
Dechamps and others regarding number CEF-080-2998-2996.
Rev B Wilton and Dr Joseph Anderson Maxwell of the 'Nestle
Aid Organization', supposedly an Irish agency of the UN
[!] operating out of offices in the UK and with a Trinidad
& Tobago domain name, offer £1.671m to ensure
"notable richness among many unusual people around
the world".
overpayment scam
The scammer sends a cheque overpaying for a car or goods
by many thousands of dollars, persuading the victim to
transfer the difference to Nigeria. The cheque is a dud.
job offers you can't refuse
A supposed oil company or other corporation offers a job
with extremely attractive salary and conditions, with
the scammer extracting money for processing visas and
permits.
next page (unbeatable
offers)
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