419 scam: "Mr. MARK WAFULA" <">"@gcz-chp2> [ALERT - CheckPointFW SUSPECTED SPAM!!!] Urgent Message From Federal Bureau of

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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:
- "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. )
- "cashier's check" (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
- "certified bank draft" (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
This email message is a fake lottery scam. Consider the following facts about real lotteries:
1. They don't notify winners by email.
2. You can't win without first buying a lottery ticket.
3. They don't randomly select email addresses to award prizes to.
4. They don't use free email accounts (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) to communicate with you.
5. They don't tell you to call a mobile phone number.
6. They don't tell you to keep your winnings secret.
7. They will never ask a winner to pay any fees to receive a prize!
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.
- markwafula3@asia.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. MARK WAFULA" <">"@gcz-chp2>
Reply-To: <officiasf@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2023 13:35:23 -0700
Subject: [ALERT - CheckPointFW SUSPECTED SPAM!!!] Urgent Message From Federal Bureau of Investigation F B I

ATTENTION: BENEFICIARY
OUR NEW UPDATING IS HERE TO AVOID BLAMING,
This e-mail has been issued to you in order to officially inform you
that we have completed an investigation on an International Payment in
which was issued to you by

an International Lottery Company. With the help of our newly developed
technology (International Monitoring Network System) we discovered
that your e-mail address was

automatically selected by an Online Balloting System, this has legally
won you the sum of $8,5million USD from a Lottery Company outside the
United states of America.

During our investigation we discovered that your e-mail won the money
from an Online Balloting System and
we have authorized this winning to be paid to you via INTERNATIONAL
CERTIFIED BANK DRAFT.

Normally, it will take up to 5 business days for an INTERNATIONAL
CERTIFIED BANK DRAFT by your local bank. We have successfully notified
this company on your behalf

that funds are to be drawn from a registered bank within the world
wined, so as to enable you cash the check instantly without any delay,
henceforth the stated amount

of $8.5million USD has been deposited with IMF. We have completed this
investigation and you are hereby approved to receive the winning prize
as we have verified the

entire transaction to be Safe and 100% risk free, due to the fact that
the funds have been deposited with IMF you will be required to settle
the following bills

directly to the Lottery Agent in-charge of this transaction whom is
located in Nairobi, Kenya. According to our discoveries, you
were required to pay for the

following,

(1) Deposit Fee's ( IMF INTERNATIONAL CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE )
(2) Shipping Fee's ( This is the charge for shipping the Cashier's Check
to
your home address)

The total amount for everything is $100 We have tried our possible
best to indicate that this $100.00 should be deducted from your
winning prize but we found out that

the funds have already been deposited IMF and cannot be accessed by
anyone apart from you the winner, therefore you will be required to
pay the required fee's to the

Agent in-charge of this your transaction In order to proceed with
this transaction, you will be required to contact the agent in-charge
( Mr. Mark Wafula ) via e-mail.

Kindly look below to find appropriate contact information:

CONTACT email below AGENT NAME: Mr. Mark Wafula
E-MAIL :(MarkWafula3@asia.com)
phone:+1-510-213-8931,text messages,
You will be required to e-mail him with the following information:

FULL NAME:
ADDRESS:
CITY:
STATE:
ZIP CODE:
DIRECT CONTACT NUMBER:
YOUR WHAT'SAPP NUMBER:
OCCUPATION:

You will also be required to request bitcoin
wallet Adress of on how to send the required $100.now or you can go
ahead and send iTunes card or steam wallet card worth of $100 in order
to immediately ship your prize of $8,5million USD

via INTERNATIONAL CERTIFIED BANK DRAFT from IMF, also include the
following transaction code in order for him to immediately identify
this transaction: EA2948-910.
Contact him now with this email... (MarkWafula3@asia.com)

This letter will serve as proof that the Federal Bureau of
Investigation is authorizing you to pay the required $100.00 ONLY to
Mr. Mark Wafula information in which he

shall send to you,

Federal Bureau of Investigation F B I
Mr Christopher A. Wray
Welcome once more to FBI

Email secured by Check Point

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam