419 scam: CITIBANK <tom@citigroup.com> URGENT

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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.
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: CITIBANK <tom@citigroup.com>
Reply-To: tomcitibanklondon@GMAIL.COM
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 13:29:51 -0300
Subject: URGENT

My name is Thomas Churchgate, An online banking service operator and computer scientist with Citibank (Citigroup) with business office addresses at Canada Square, Canary wharf, London E14 5LB. My age is 35. I have been with this bank for 8 years. On Monday April 29, 2014, I came across your transaction file here in the bank marked 768544ENF and your fund credit computer disk hidden in an abandoned drawer of my predecessor who was jailed for holding customers fund for illegal stock trade. I took time to study it and found out that you have paid VIRTUALLY all fees and certificates to enable you receive the fund, yet the fund was not released to you.

Due to the profits my predecessor made from your money on stock exchange and trade financing, he made your fund officially inaccessible by the bank thereby creating an unofficial computer disk for your fund and its details.

The only thing I will need to release this fund is special software we call Cyclos Banking Software. Alternatively, on your approval, I can declare the fund lost but found. But declaring this fund lost and found or official will lead investigations which may take years thereby delay your payment on time. For faster payment, we need the Cyclops Banking Software to execute the transfer of the fund into any account you shall choose within 5 hours. The Cyclos Banking Software can be purchased from http://www.cyclos.org

The only thing I will need from you is a help of £30,000 after the fund is credited into your account to enable my wife undergo a breast cancer surgery at Monklands Hospital, Monkscourt Avenue AIRDRIE ML6 0JS United Kingdom. There is no harm problem that is associated with the fund transfer because all the papers and approvals from International monetary fund have been accorded to your fund. Do not write me on my work email address for security reasons.

If you need to speak with me directly call me on +44-797-934-9820

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam