419 scam: "Mr. Timothy Geithner" <info@ustreasury.org> Good day to you,

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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:
- "stop order document " ("anti-terrorist", "anti-money laundering" or "drug-free" certificates are a common way for criminals in fake lottery scams and other Advance Fee scams to get you to send money to them. There are no such certificates in the real banking world. )
- "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. )
- "into your nominated bank 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)
- "million us 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)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. Timothy Geithner" <info@ustreasury.org>
Reply-To: ustreasurydirect011@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2011 22:48:52 -0400
Subject: Good day to you,

Good day to you, I am Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the United States
National Treasury.President Barack Obama nominated me to be the 75th secretary
of the treasury on January 20th, 2009. I am the president's leading policy
adviser on a broad range of domestic and international economic issues.I have
spent most of my career at the U.S. Treasury, which I joined in 1988 after
having worked three years in the private sector for Kissinger Associates.

Before going to the IMF, I Geithner was undersecretary for international
affairs at the Treasury Department under then- Secretary Lawrence Summers.I
played a major role in the Treasury's efforts to contain the Asian financial
crisis in 1997 and 1998. A biography, furnished by the New York Fed,
highlights my management responsibilities. I am the director of the Policy
Development and Review Department at the IMF, which has a staff of 180 people.

As a Treasury official, I Geithner participated in a number of international
negotiations, including agreement on international banking standards known as
the Basel accord, and an agreement that created the IMF's expanded emergency
reserve fund.I am married and has two children to my Name, also received my
bachelor's degree in government and Asian studies from Dartmouth College and a
master's degree in economics and East Asian studies from Johns Hopkins
University. Kindly visit the website below to view my personal profile.

Website: www.treas.gov/organization/bios/geithner-e.shtml

The United Nations have given me due instructions, alongside with the World
Bank to wire the sum of $10Million US Dollars Only into your Bank Account in a
Legal way.

For this reason I have contacted you. Below is the Required Documents:

1: United Nations Stop Order Document
2: World Bank Clearance Certificate
3: Proof of Ownership Certificate.

These three documents are needed before i can proceed with the transfer of the
total fund into your Nominated bank account.The United States Department of
Justice, can help you secure this needed documents,I will furnish with the
contact detail of whom to contact, so that this transaction can be completed
without delay.

In the meantime, I want you to re-Confirm the following details to me for your
case file processing.

Legal First and Last Name:
Complete Residential Address & Age
Direct Telephone No & Fax
Legal Occupation and Position
Address of Occupation

Please get back to me as soon as possible.

Thanks and God Bless you.

Mr. Timothy Geithner
Executive Secretary United States Treasury Department Main Treasury1500
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20220

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam