419 scam: "International Monetary Funds Unit." <patrick_tsoi@yahoo.cn> INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND (IMF).

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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:
- "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)
- "united state of america" (this email uses bad English)
- "power of attorney" (with your bank details and a power of attorney form criminals sometimes empty bank accounts)
- "cotonou" (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.
- +22999456370 (Benin, probably a 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.
- monetaryfundinternational423@yahoo.com.hk (Yahoo, Hong Kong; can be used from anywhere worldwide)

Fraud email example:

From: "International Monetary Funds Unit." <patrick_tsoi@yahoo.cn>
Reply-To: "International Monetary Funds Unit." <monetaryfundinternational423@yahoo.com.hk>
Date: Thu, 1 Aug 2013 21:47:30 +0800 (CST)
Subject: INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND (IMF).

INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND (IMF).
Head Office Department in Republic Du Benin
Presidential Quarters Rue 1478 Cotonou.
Email
Address:( monetaryfundinternational423@yahoo.com.hk )
Telephone Number: +229 9945 6370

Attention: Please,

A
power of attorney was forwarded to our office this morning by one
gentle man and he is a citizen from united state of America and his name
is MR MILLER GRAIG DOUGLAS.

This man claimed to be your
representative and this power of attorney stated that you are dead after
brief illness and he brought account to replace your information in
other to claim your fund of $8.5million us dollars which is now lying
dormant and unclaimed, below is the new account he have submitted:

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â City Bank
Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Account# / 6503809428.
Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Routing/122006743,
Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Address 1076 Peter Johnson Road
Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â NewÂ York, USA,

Be
further informed that this power of attorney also stated that you
suffered and died of a throat cancer. You are therefore given 24hrs to
confirm the truth in this information, if you are still alive, you are
to contact us back immediately, because we work 24 hrs just to ensure
that we monitor all the activities going on in regards to the transfer
of beneficiaryâ€™s inheritance and contract payment.

You are to
call this office immediately for clarifications on this matter as we
shall be available 24 hrs to speak with you and give you the necessary
guidelines on how to ensure that your payment is wired to you
immediately and also be inform that any further delay from your side
could be dangerous, as we would not be held responsible for any wrong
payment. Contact us as soon as possible if you are truly alive as we
have his identification and residence he provides for us to wired the
payment to him.

Note: we want you to re-confirm your personal
information below to enable us renew and update your file before we will
take next step.

(1) Full Name.............
(2) Country/State/ City Name.............
(3) Delivery Address.........
(4) Occupation.............
(5) Sex..................
(6) Age.................
(7) Telephone Number...........
(8) A Cope of Your Passport/ Drivers Licenses........................

Best Regards.
Mr. James Amsterdam (Director General)
International Monetary Funds Unit.
Republic Du Benin.
E- mail ( monetaryfundinternational423@yahoo.com.hk )

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam