419 scam: "U.S. Department of the Treasury"<info@treasury.com> This is Fund Transfer Notice

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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:

This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "clearance certificate" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "clearance certificate" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "00,000.00" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "U.S. Department of the Treasury"<info@treasury.com>
Reply-To: u.streasury.lew@qq.com
Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2015 05:53:32 -0700
Subject: This is Fund Transfer Notice

U.S. Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C.
Website: http://www.treasury.gov
Date: 4/22/2015

Good Day!

This is an urgent approval fund transfer notice regarding your compensation benefit. I am Jacob "Jack" Lew. The Secretary of the Treasury under the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The executive agency responsible for promoting economic prosperity and ensuring the financial security of the United States. I hereby request to inform you about our recently concluded meeting with the World Bank and the United Nations which an agreement was reached that the sum of $500,000.00 must be paid out to 20 beneficiaries in the form of a compensation.

This compensation is allocated to 20 beneficiaries each year to compensate individuals that have been scammed in several payment scheme such as lottery winning, contract/inheritance payment, marriage scams and etc. The compensation benefit is also allocated to retired civil servants and U.S. veterans. Fortunately, your name is among the list of the 20 beneficiaries nominated to benefit from the 2015 UN COMPENSATION ALLOCATION SCHEME.

Therefore, I wish to state categorically that your fund transfer will be transferred into your designated bank account within 24 hours. All cost associated with the transfer has been pre-paid by the United Nations. The only cost you are entitled to undertake as your responsibility is the cost of processing a "Fund Clearance Certificate", which is estimated to the value of $150. This "Fund Clearance Certificate" is a valid document, and it is required in accordance with the U.S. Monetary Policy. Hence, the $150 to obtain the "Fund Clearance Certificate" is the ONLY expense you will incur before the fund will be credited into your bank account.

In any case, my identity as the 76th Secretary of the Treasury can be verified on this link http://www.treasury.gov/about/Pages/Secretary.aspx

Yours Sincerely,

Jacob "Jack" Lew
Secretary of the Treasury

Anti-fraud resources:

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