Lome Togo Scam – Advance Fee 419 Internet Fraud Scheme

What follows is the exact e-mail text (spelling and grammar) of yet another variation of the Lome Togo Scam. It’s an Advanced Fee Scheme designed to separate you from your money. Read it carefully to see how people become tempted. The tale is always about some tragic circumstance where the government is corrupt or the family is in crisis and they are reaching out to only you…in a world of millions. Does that make sense? The con men will attempt to get some sucker to travel to Africa or Europe and front $25,000 to open an account before depositing their alleged millions into it. Like all the African scams, these con artists will want to get personal information from you including your banking and financial details in order to allegedly affect the money transfer.

Sometimes the telephone number presented to call is a toll number (like a 900 number) where you pay the fees to them. Usually, the con men require that you pay a never-ending list of Advanced Fees in order to receive the money that never arrives. This is one of these offers that sound too good to be true…because it’s a scam. They rely on your greed or financial desperation to hook you and draw you in. Don’t fall for it. Unfortunately, many people have been victimized by this approach to get rich quick.

The Secret Service calls this the “Lome Togo scam 419 Advanced Fee Scheme” after the Nigerian Penal code fraud section. If you have been victimized by one of these schemes, please forward appropriate written documentation to the United States Secret Service, Financial Crimes Division, 950 H Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20223, or contact by e-mail. If you have received a letter, but have not lost any monies to this scheme.

An actual E-Mail received 11/29/01

This is a Lome Togo scam…don’t fall for it.

PERSONAL AND STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

DEAR SIR:

I am Mrs FATOU NSAKKA Ivorien widow with an only son DANIEL NSAKKA. My husband was the chief security officer to the ousted President Henry BEDIE of Cote d’voire. During the over throw of 24th December 1999, my husband was among the people that were killed by the military. Since after his death, I ran away with my only son, I do hereby wish to ask for your assistance in urgent business transaction that requires absolute honesty and secrecy.

Although I did not in any way disclose to my friend the details of this my proposal due to confidential nature of this transaction. By virtue of my husband’s position. The former President(BEDIE) gave him US 20.000.000.00 Dollars (Twenty million US dollars) cash in US100.00 dollars bill stacked in a box when he got information that the militaries were planning to over throw him. Immediately my husband was confirmed dead, I made away with this box with my only son so that we can not be reached by Mr BEDIE.

I have really been waiting for a more suitable time and opportunity to contact you concerning this transaction. Right now, the money is in a safe place, I deposited it with a security company for safe keeping. I am using this opportunity to seek for your assistance to move this money to your country, to be invested on behalf of my only son.

For this business to be concluded immediately, all you need to do is to arrange to meet with me and my son where this box is been lodged, open an account in your name, pay in the whole money after clearing and transfering it to your chosen account. We can’t do that on our own because we don’t have account else where, moreover, we don’t have any business to cover-up that is why we needed your assistance. I am ready to offer you 30% of the total sum and give you the full power to manage the remaining 70% on behalf of my son.
Contact my son DANIEL NSAKKA where we are curently staying in a sister’s house in LOME-TOGO. This money we deposited it in the best security company in LOME-TOGO.

Upon conclusion of arrangement, we shall forward to you the certificate of deposit, and the phone and fax number of the security company for confirmation immediately you recieve this e-mail message or call me at this number (002XX-02-XX-86) Please I want us to finish this business as quikly as possible.

Yours faithfull MRS FATOU NSAKKA

This is a Lome Togo scam…don’t fall for it.