419 scam: "Major Sean MacFarland"<maj@alfaexpress.net> Greetings,

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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:
- "you are advice to " (this email uses bad English)
- "power of attorney" (with your bank details and a power of attorney form criminals sometimes empty bank accounts)
- "affidavit " (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
- "central bank of nigeria" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- "abuja" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- "lagos" (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.
- +23417593876 (Nigeria, landline)
- +2348149152076
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.
- cbn.cbnnigeria@gmail.com (Gmail/GoogleMail; can be used from anywhere worldwide)
- tel: +2348149152076 fax: 234-1-7593876 email: cbn.cbnnigeria@gmail.com from the central bank of nigeria, department of foreign (Gmail; can be used from anywhere worldwide)

Fraud email example:

From: "Major Sean MacFarland" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <majorseanmacfarl@outlook.com>
Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2018 06:20:21 -0700
Subject: Greetings,

THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA,
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN DEBTS RECONCILIATION.
Zaria Street, Garki II, Nigeria - P.M.B. 0187, Garki, Abuja
TELEPHONE: Tel: +2348149152076
Fax: 234-1-7593876
EMAIL: cbn.cbnnigeria@gmail.com

FROM THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA, DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN DEBTS RECONCILIATION.

Attention: Our Dear Hon. Beneficiary,

This is officially to inform you on this notice. Your urgent reconfirmation to this notice letter which was submitted to my office by one Mr. Gary Johnson and Mrs. Lissy Jones, both are from United States of America (U.S.A), who claimed to be your representative. In the letter they claimed to be your representative here over your fund in Central Bank of Nigeria, and in the letter of Power of Attorney it stated that you are sick of cancer, on this ground that you will not be able to accomplish this transaction and memorandum of understanding has been reached between you and them to stand on your behalf to claim the fund.

They brought new bank account information’s in replacement of your formerly bank account details information’s with us here in other for this said fund which has been lying DORMANT and UNCLAIMED in the Central Bank of Nigeria for many years now to be transfer into the new account. With an attached letter to the Power of Attorney, is acceptance letter to pay off your outstanding bill debit of ($7,200 U.S Dollars) only to enable us credit their account as soon as possible. Find below the new account details they have submitted for the claims of the fund on your behalf:

Beneficiary: Gary Johnson
Address: 53430 CSAH-20, Paynesville, Minnesota USA 56362
Bank Name: TCF Bank
Address: St. Cloud, Minnesota USA
A/c #: 9852712163
Routing #: 29107000-1

Therefore, you are given 24 hours to confirm the truth of the above information to me if you are aware of this ongoing arrangement or not. Contact us immediately through our official web-email address stated here: (nig.cbnorg@gmail.com) as we want to ensure that we are dealing with right people, and for you to monitor activities going on here regards your transaction as the rightful beneficiaries of this fund whom we knew very well before those people submits bank information.You are advice to respond back swiftly for more clarifications immediately you receive this message, and after 72 hours with without any responses answer from you we will believe, and assume they claim are truth. Be aware that any further delay from your side could be dangerous, as we would not be held liable for any wrong payment to a wrong people after notified to you on time at the end. Already I have advice them to get a lawyer who will assist them to get a letter of affidavit from Lagos State High C
ourt Ikeja, to back their claim.I

Best Regards,

Mr. Godwin Emefiele.
Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam