419 scam: "Charlie English, Homeland Security Director" <drjamesibeh@gmail.com> Charlie English, Homeland Security Director

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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:
- "money gram" (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)
- "you are advise to" (this email uses bad English)
- "certified bank draft" (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
MoneyGram money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. Along with Western Union it is a preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
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.
- +2348058572635 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)
- +2348136240375
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.
- pastordavid1@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Charlie English, Homeland Security Director" <drjamesibeh@gmail.com>
Reply-To: homeland.security20@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 10:08:45 +0100
Subject: Charlie English, Homeland Security Director

Charlie English, Homeland Security Director
PO Box 18055, Building 2
Atlanta, GA 30316-0055
www.gema.state.ga.us

Attn: Beneficiary,
Please you are not allowed to call the above telephone for security reason
but you can investigate the above information through internet only, and if
there's any furthe information you need from us, you are advise to email us.

This is to Officially inform you that it has come to our notice and we have
thoroughly completed an Investigation with the help of our Intelligence
Monitoring Network System that you legally won the sum of $14,6000,000.00
USD from a Lottery Company outside the United States of America. During our
investigation we discovered that your e-mail won the money from an Online
Balloting System and we have authorized this winning to be paid to you via
Certified Bank Draft.

Normally, it will take up to 8hours a day for an International Certified
Bank Draft to be cashed by your local bank. We have successfully notified
this company on your behalf that funds are to be drawn from a registered
bank within the United States Of America so as to enable you receive your
winning fund instantly without any delay, henceforth the stated amount of
$14,6000,000.00 USD has been deposited with them.

We have completed this investigation and you are hereby approved to receive
the winning prize as we have verified the entire transaction to be Safe and
100% risk free, due to the fact that the funds have been deposited to them,
so you will be required to settle the following bills directly to the
Lottery Agent in-charge of this transaction whom is located in Delta.
According to our discoveries, you were required to pay for the following -

(1) Deposit Fee's ( Fee's paid by the company for the deposited)

(2) Certified Bank Draft Conversion Fee ( Fee for converting the Wire
Transfer payment into a Certified Bank Draft )

(3) Shipping Fee's ( This is the charge for shipping the Certified Bank
Draft to your home address )The total amount for everything is just $250.00
(Two Hundred and fifty-US Dollars).

We have tried our possible best to indicate that this $250.00 should be
deducted from your winning prize but we found out that the funds have
already been deposited at Pastor David Company and cannot be accessed by
anyone apart from you the winner, therefore you will be required to pay the
required fee's to the Agent in-charge of this transaction via Money Gram
Transfer.

In order to proceed with this transaction, you will be required to contact
the agent in-charge ( Pastor David ) via e-mail. Kindly look below to find
appropriate contact information:

Contant Agent Name: Pastor David
E-MAIL ADDRESS: pastordavid1@hotmail.com
Telephone Number : +234-813-624-0375 or +234-805-857-2635.
You will be required to e-mail him with the following information:

FULL NAME:
ADDRESS:
CITY:
STATE:
ZIP CODE:
DIRECT CONTACT NUMBER:
MONTHLY INCOME:

You will also be required to request Money Gram Transfer details on how to
send the required $250.00 only in order to immediately ship your prize of
$14,6000,000.00 USD via Certified Bank Draft drawn from them, also include
the following transaction code in order for him to immediately identify this
transaction : EA2948-910.

This letter will serve as proof that the Homeland Security is authorizing
you to pay the required $250.00 ONLY to Pastor David with the information
in which he shall send to you, if you do not receive your winning prize of
$14,6000,000.00 we shall be held responsible for the loss and this shall
invite a penalty of $3,000 which will be made PAYABLE ONLY to you (The
Winner).

Charlie English, Homeland Security Director
PO Box 18055, Building 2
Atlanta, GA 30316-0055
www.gema.state.ga.us

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam