419 scam: "Nigerian National Petroleum Incorporation"<info@nnpc-ng.org> Be my guest.

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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:
- "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "utmost confidentiality" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "central bank of nigeria" (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.
- +2347051258494 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "Nigerian National Petroleum Incorporation" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <alhmusaibrahim@live.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 5 May 2010 23:59:42 +0100
Subject: Be my guest.

From The Desk of: Alh. Musa Ibrahim
Chairman, Contract Tender Board (CTB) of the
Nigerian National Petroleum Incorporation (NNPC)

SUBJECT: PAYMENT OF CONTRACTOR’S ENTITLEMENT

Hello,

I write to seek your participation in a mutual business engagement that will be beneficial to you and I. I am a highly respected government employee in my country, and we are prohibited from embarking owning any foreign investments as civil servants which is why I have contacted as my foreign partner.

I am the chairman, Contract Tender Board with the Nigerian National Petroleum Incorporation (NNPC). This committee reviews and validates past contracts awarded from 2004 to date, making recommendations for their urgent payment also. In 2006 my colleagues and I urgently registered a business name and used our position in the committee to award a contract to ourselves to the tune of $23 Million USD. We had to do that to better our lives when we realized we were barely paid enough to provide for our families while top government officials and politicians control billions of dollars in their foreign bank accounts. The said contract has since long been completed but due to our positions and government regulations, we have not been able to receive this money by ourselves or in our names except by fronting a reliable partner as foreign director of the company to help claim this payment on our behalf.

What you are required to do is to provide us with a personal/company account that can receive this payment. As members of this committee, we are responsible for arranging for the relevant documentations and relevant payment approval in favour of our company and thereafter the funds shall be remitted directly by our apex bank (The Central Bank of Nigeria).

We are willing to offer you 30% of this payment for your participation while the balance 70% will be for me and my team. It is important that if you are interested you reply to this mail as soon as possible via email or by Telephone: +234 705 125 8494 with your full name and telephone numbers so we can begin the process of our proposed course of action for getting these funds to you 100% risk free.

I shall forever remain honoured to do business with you and solicit your utmost confidentiality in this transaction.

Best regards,
Alh. Musa Ibrahim
Direct Line: +234 705 125 8494

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam