419 scam: "OFFICE OF THE MINISTER OF FINANCE"<honourableministeroffinancenig@gmail.com> CONFIRM THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER

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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:
- "million dollars" (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)
- "power of attorney" (with your bank details and a power of attorney form criminals sometimes empty bank accounts)
- "abuja" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
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.
- +2348063753103 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)
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.
- honourableministeroffinancenig@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "OFFICE OF THE MINISTER OF FINANCE" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <honourableministeroffinancenig@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:21:16 +0100
Subject: CONFIRM THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER

FEDERAL MINISTRY OF FINANCE.
P.M.B. 14, Garki, Abuja.
Tel: 234-8063753103
OfficialE-mail:honourableministeroffinancenig@hotmail.com
Attn:-Beneficiary,
Dated This Day: 13th Of Jult, 2010.

YOUR FUND VALUED OF US$36.6 MILLION DOLLARS.

Good Day I do like to let you know that a power of attorney was forwarded to my office this morning by two gentlemen ,one of them is an AMERICAN national and he is ENGR . GILBERT M. USON by name while the other person is Mr. JACK MORGAN by name a CANADIAN national.

I want you to know that your Personal Data which is now in my Office was forwarded to me by the Central Bank Governor and the Transfer Unit as well.This Gentle Men claimed to be the representative of your Family, and this power of attorney stated that you have died, they brought an account to replace your informations and claimed your fund of US$36.6 Million which is right now lying DORMANT and UNCLAIMED, below is the new account they have submitted:

BANK NAME:- ROYAL BANK OF CANADA (RBC).
BANK WEBSITES: www.rbcroyalbank.com
NAME OF ACCOUNT: LEAD AND SONS COMPANY.
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 2984-0008-660.
SWIFT CODE: BOPIPHMM.
AMOUNT FOR TRANSFER: US$36.6 MILLION.

Be further informed that this power of attorney also stated that you suffered and died of a throat cancer.All you or your family members just have to do is to confirm if you are really alive,because its sound furious that such kind of a thing just happened ,I was Instructed to find out if it really happens or not before the fund will be transfered to them.

Please these email demands urgent response as whoever do read these if its you or a family Member or Friend who has access to your email address ,should respond immediately.

You are therefore given 24hrs to confirm the truth in this information if you are still alive by responding back immediately so that these office can know what actions to be taken,because they are just insisting that we carry out the transfer of which we are writting to you now on their absent to confirm if you are still alive.

Since no response from you all these while on how you can get your fund released to you, we are now suspecting that it might be true and funny that something strange might have happened and that the story might be true, because the only evidence now is you or your family members contacting these office now and confirming if these people are from you,or else we will transfer the fund to them.

Note: As soon as i re-confirm your present details,i will prepare a letter of release on your behalf and forward it to the payment bank that will carry out the transfer of your fund without delay.You or family members should forward to me emails you have been receiveing from those IMPOSTERS for adequate investigations to be carried out.

You or your family members that reads these email should respond back as i await immediate response.

Regards.
Dr. Mansur Muhtar.
The Honourable Minister of Finance,
Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam