419 scam: "Mr Tom West"<unefcc@info.org> EFCC SCAM DEPT

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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:
- "economic and financial crimes commission" (This name is often mentioned in money recovery scams (re-scam): the real EFCC does not contact victims to offer to get their money back because that is near impossible. )
- "central bank of nigeria" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- "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.
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.
- mrbensmith2097@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr Tom West" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mrbensmith2097@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:02:01 -0700
Subject: EFCC SCAM DEPT

From: EFCC SCAM DEPT.
Subject: Attn: Scammed Victim

Attention: Beneficiary,

SCAMMED VICTIM/ $2.5million COMPENSATION-REF/PAYMENTS CODE: 06654. We were delegated by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] Nigeria in conjunction with the United Nations to pay 200 Americans,Asia,Europe etc who were scammed by Nigerian 419 artists/pepetrators the sum of $2.5million each, you are listed and approved for this payments as one of the scammed victims, get back to us as soon as possible for the immediate payments of your $2.5million compensations funds.

In view of this recommendations, I want you to know that during the last
UN and EFCC meetings held in Abuja Nigeria,it was alarmed so much by the
rest of the world in the meetings on the lose of funds by various
foreigners to the scams artists operating in syndicates all over the
world today,In other to retain the good image of this great country, the
president (Goodluck Jonathan) has instructed the payment of 200
victims the sum of $2.5million each via Abbey National Plc London under
the funding assistance by the Central Bank of Nigeria.According to the
number of applicants at hand, 85 beneficiaries has been paid.we still
have more left to be paid the compensations of $2.5million.

Your particulars was mentioned by one of the syndicates who was arrested
in Delta State Nigeria as one of their victims of the operations, you are
hereby warned not to communicate or duplicate this message to him for any
reason whatsoever, Efcc in support of the US secret service is already on
trace of the criminals. For more vital information, You will receive your
compensations payments via a DRAFT PAYMENTS or a WIRE TRANSFER.

You should get in youch with Mr Ben Smith regarding on how you can get your funds (mrbensmith2097@gmail.com)

Yours faithfully,
Tom West
Philip Brown,De-factor Chief Compensation Officer
EFCC And United nations Financial & Econimic Commission

EFCC And United nations Financial & Econimic Commission

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam