Nigerian Advance Fee 419 Internet Fraud Scam

What follows is the exact e-mail text (spelling and grammar) of another variation of a Nigerian Advance Fee 419 Scheme designed to separate you from your money. Read it carefully so you can see how this multi-phase con will tempt some greedy people. The con men will attempt to get some sucker to front many thousands of dollars or provide a bank signature card to the con men so they can extract your money. After being convinced (scammed), the Nigerians will want the victim to deposit $25,000, for example, to open an account in Nigeria (to avoid suspicion of the bank) before transferring the alleged millions into it.

Other variations require the victim to pay a never-ending list of advanced fees for money storage, transfer fees, or taxes before the funds can be transferred. 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, this scam has worked many times and has been active for ten years. The Secret Service and Nigerian governments are well aware of these scams but to-date has not been able to do anything about it.

The Secret Service calls these scams the “419 Advance Fee Schemes” 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.

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E-Mail received 11/05/01

This is a Nigerian Advance Fee scam…don’t fall for it!

From the desk of Mr. Sani Mohammed

NATURALLY THIS LETTER WILL COME TO YOU AS A SURPRISE SINCE WE HAVE NOT MET, EXCUSE ME FOR THE EMBARRASEMENT THIS LETTER MIGHT CAUSE YOU.PLEASE PERMIT ME HOWEVER TO INFORM YOU THAT I AM A MEMBERS OF THE CONTRACT AWARDING COMMITTEE (CAC) WITH THE NIGERIAN NATIONAL PETROLEUM CORPORATION (NNPC). WE ARE MAKING THIS CONTACT WITH YOU BASED ON SATISFACTORY INFORMATION GATHERED FROM THE FOREIGN TRADE OFFICE OF THE NIGERIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. I HAVE NO REASON TO DOUBT YOUR HONESTY AND CREDIBILITY HENCE I MADE THIS PROPOSAL TO YOU.

AS A MEMBER OF THE CONTRACT AWARD COMMITTEE IN MY MINISTRY, NIGERIAN NATIONAL PETROLEUM CORPORATION AND WITH MY POSITION, WE ARE ABLE TO HAVE AN OVER-INFLATED AMOUNT OF US$50,000,000.00 (FIFTY MILLION, UNITED DOLLARS ONLY), ON A CONTRACT THAT WAS AWARDED BY MY MINISTRY SOME TIME LAST YEAR.

HOWEVER, THE ORIGINAL CONTRACTOR HAS BEEN PAID THE SUM US$144,000,000.00 LEAVING THE OVER-INFLATED AMOUNT OF US$50,000,000.00 FOR ME AND MY COLLEAGUES AS AGREED, RECENTLY IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE DEATH OF OUR FORMER HEAD OF STATES, LATE GENERAL SANI ABACHA, THE NEW GOVERNMENT UNDER HER FOREIGN POLICY PROGRAMME INITIATED DEBT RECONCILIATION COMMITTEE WHICH HAS SCHEDULED THIS FUND FOR PAYMENT AT THIS QUARTER, HENCE WE NEEDED YOUR CO-OPERATION BY PROVIDING AN ACCOUNT AND COMPANY ADDRESS TO BE PRESENTED TO MY MINISTRY AS THE SISTER COMPANY TO THE ORIGINAL COMPANY FOR THE CLAIM OF THE US$50,000,000.00.

ALL WE NEEDED FROM YOU IS YOUR COMPANY NAME, PRIVATE TEL-FAX NUMBERS AND BANK ACCOUNT INFORMATION IN, WHICH THIS FUND WILL BE TRANSFERRED INTO.WE INTEND TO SHARE THE FUND AS FOLLOWS: 30% FOR YOU AS THE ACCOUNT OWNER, 60% FOR ME AND MY COLLEAGUES AND THE BALANCE 10% FOR YOUR EXPENSES AND OUR EXPENSES IN THE COURSE OF THIS TRANSACTION. WE SHALL BE ABLE TO FINALIZE THIS TRANSACTION WITHIN 14 WORKING DAYS ONCE WE HAVE YOUR COMPANY NAME AND YOUR BANK ACCOUNT INFORMATION TO BE SLOTTED INTO THE CENTRAL COMPUTER FOR THE CLAIM AND APPROVAL OF THIS FUND.PLEASE KEEP EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS TRANSACTION CONFIDENTIAL TO YOURSELF AND YOU SHOULD BEAR IN MIND THAT SUCH BUSINESS OF THIS MAGNITUDE REQUIRES FINANCIAL INVOLVEMENT, AS WE SHALL JOIN HANDS TOGETHER. AWAITING YOUR RESPONSE TO THIS BUSINESS PROPOSAL ON THIS E-MAIL ADDRESS *****@###### IMMEDIATELY ON RECEIPT OF THIS MESSAGE.

YOURS FAITHFULLY,

Mr. Sani Mohammed

This is a Nigerian Advance Fee scam…don’t fall for it!