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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

Victims never receive this non-existent fortune but are tricked into sending their money to the criminals, who remain anonymous. They hide their real identity and location by using fake names and fake postal addresses as well as communicating via anonymous free email accounts and mobile phones.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

 

 

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: ecowas <officefille2009@globomail.com>
Reply-To: ecowasbenin@bine-bine.com
Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2011 22:39:54 +0800 (SGT)
Subject: WEST AFRICA EXCHANGE CONTROL AUTHORITY































Wellcome to : (Waeca) West Africa
Ex-change Control Authority/Ecowas Payment Office. our motto is: Efficiency,
Honesty and Transparency
 
ECONOMIC COMMUNITY
OF WEST AFRICAN STATES
Comunaute Economique Des Etats De
L’ Afrique De L’ Quest
WEST AFRICA EXCHANGE CONTROL
AUTHORITY.
Ecowas Payment office  

Tel: 0022999924545/ Fax:0022999924546
Email: ecowasbenin@bine-bine.com
 
                       

 
Our Ref…..ECO/EPO/01/010/ECOWAS                               Date: 21 oct  2                                                                                                                                                    


 
Attention: Beneficiary,
 

This is to officially inform you
that your payment file was brought to my desk today our time after last meeting
convened with banking
institutions and the government agencies within the west Africa
Region regarding the smooth and successful transfer of
beneficiaries over due and unclaimed payment owned by banks and government
agencies here in Benin and within
the West
Africa country.


 

 It is base on this development
that my office (WAECA) West
African Ex-Change Control Authority has been assigned and mandated
to take charge of all unclaimed payment like yours here in Benin to ensure a
successful transfer of beneficiaries funds into their designated bank account
without any legal encumbrance hence banks have failed their foreign clients.


 

as a matter of urgency,  I have
gone through your payment data and discovered that the funds fully belongs to
you and as a result of that we have decided to process the payment on your
behalf to ensure justice, transparency and honesty because we want to maintain
the image of this great office that is in charge of monitoring all local and
international
funds transaction/movement within West Africa Region.
 
We therefore advice you to
reconfirm your details,
Private phone ……………..
 Fax
number,……………………
Company name ……………………….
 
 For verification and confirmation
to avoid wrong transfer of funds during the cause of transfer.
 
At the moment regarding the
position of your funds, you are advice to get in touch with me for confirmation
of this message without delays as soon as you receive this mail.
 
Further more you are advised to go
ahead and send the delivery charges of the sum of $65 us dollars to enable me
advance the delivery as soon as I hear from you with the payment data’s just as
stated below.
 
Receivers name …………………………. Julius
.C.Okonkwo
Country …………………………. Republic
of Benin
City ……………………………………… Cotonou

Text ……………………………… in god
Answer ……………………. We trust.
Amount …………………………. $65 dollars
only.

 
I will be waiting for your urgent
response. And have a great day.
 
Regards,
Dr. Isa Williams.
Director: WAECA: West Africa
Ex-Change Control Authority.
Ecowas  Payment Office
Benin.
00 229-9858-6938.

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