419 scam: "guaranty trust bank plc" <admin@net.com> N/A

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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:

An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
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:
- "activation fee" (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. )
- "transfer into your account" (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)
- "you are advice to " (this email uses bad English)
- "dear beneficiary," (this SPAM email was probably sent to thousands of people)
- "ecowas " (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
- +2347039522881
This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
- gtbank56855@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "guaranty trust bank plc" <admin@net.com>
Reply-To: gtbank56855@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 07:17:36 -0600
Subject: N/A

Fund Release Notification.

Dear beneficiary,

You are welcome to GT Bank Plc. The payment Bank for the 2010 UN Online Promo. We are
pleased to be at your service. We are Regulated and Stipulated by the Financial Service
Authority (FSA), the financial institutions that govern all financial activities around
the World, after a proper screening and verification excises that was conducted in our
Bank today in addition to receiving confirmation from the UN and The ECOWAS Online
Promotional board, that you are one of the promo winners of $287,500.00 (TWO HUNDRED
AND EIGHTY SEVEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS ONLY).

This is to inform you that your funds have been deposited in our transit account and
will be available for immediate transfer into your account which you are to set up, you
are advice to open a Foreign Currency Account with us where your winnings can be
transferred into.

This account will be activated after you have made the initial deposit from $100 USD
and above as your account activation fee or you can open an online account in our bank
and make your transfer online into any account of your choice.

With our online banking, you can enjoy the convenience of managing your finances
quickly and easily at a time that suits you. You can bank safely and securely - at
work, home or abroad.

Our online banking enables you to do the following.

1. Check your balance, monitor transactions and print your account statement.
2. Pay utility bills, transfer funds between your accounts and to other Beneficiaries.

Once you open an online account with us we shall send to you, your login information's,
enter your user ID and password and then click the login button then change the
password to the one of your choice. Once you have successfully logged on, please
remember to change your password by selecting the 'Personal' option from the menu. It
is very important you keep your security details secret at all times to prevent
unauthorized access to your account.

What next?

We'll advise that you get back to us within the next 2 working days. Upon receipt of
your email we shall send you our sign up application form to be completely filled,
signed and return to us which will allow us to create your account.

Please Note that no deductions of any fees is allowed because we received your money in
BOND and it's been duly insured, based on our policies and as a result of the space of
time available, you are hereby advised to act fast so we can provide you with the best
of our banking services.

Please contact me with this email address only Email: mail gtbank56855@gmail.com

Yours faithfully,

For: GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC
Uwem Akai
MGR, E-Business & Card Services
GTBank Tel: +234-703-952-2881

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Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam