Graph showing the “Scam Life Cycle” of 419 scams. Graph courtesy of (http://www.theNextWebSecurity.com).
On June 4, 2014 I received the following email solicitation, one of dozens I seem to attract every day it seems. Mostly from Russia and the former state within the Soviet Union for some reason?
There are many variations on this type of scam, including advance-fee fraud, Fifo’s Fraud, Spanish Prisoner Scam, the black money scam, and the Detroit-Buffalo scam.
The number “419” refers to the article of the Nigerian Criminal Code dealing with fraud.
The scam has been used with fax and traditional mail, and is now used with the internet. Nations with a high incidence of this fraud include; the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Russia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, India, the Netherlands, and Spain.
What makes this one unusual is that it appears to be an interesting twist on the Nigerian “419 scam.” In so far as it plays on legitimacy by warning of scams – therefore it can’t be a scam right? Wrong!
Below is a copy of this latest one I received. I’m sure there will be many more:
Attention,
The Federal Government of Nigeria through provisions in Section 419 of the Criminal Code came up with punitive measures to deter and punish offenders.The Advance Fee Fraud section deal mainly with cases of advance fee fraud(commonly called 419) such as obtaining by false presence through different fraudulent schemes e.g. contract scam, credit card scam,inheritance scam, job scam, loan scam, lottery scam, “wash wash” scam (money washing scam), marriage scam. Immigration scam, counterfeiting and religious scam. It also investigates cyber crime cases.
This is to officially announce to you that some scam Syndicates were apprehended in Lagos, Nigeria few days ago and after several interrogations and tortures your details were among those mentioned by some of the scam Syndicates as one of the victims of their operations.
After proper investigations and research at Western Union Money Transfer and Money Gram office to know if you have truly sent money to the scam Syndicates through Western Union Money Transfer or Money Gram, your name was found in Western Union Money Transfer database amongst those that have sent money through Western Union Money Transfer to Nigeria and this proves that you have truly been swindled by those unscrupulous persons by sending money to them in the course of getting one fund or the other that is not real,right now we are working hand in hand with Western Union and Interpol to track every fraudsters down, do not respond to their e-mails, letters and phone calls any longer they are scammers and you should be very careful to avoid being a victim to fraudsters any longer because they have nothing to offer you but to rip-off what you have worked hard to earn.
In this regard a meeting was held between the Board of Directors of The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and as a consequence of our investigations it was agreed that the sum of Two hundred thousand US Dollars (US$200,000) should be transferred to you out of the funds that Federal Government of Nigeria has set aside as a compensation to everyone who have by one way or the other sent money to fraudsters in Nigeria.
We have deposited your fund at Western Union Money Transfer agent location EMS Post office Lagos, Nigeria. We have submitted your details to them so
that your fund can be transferred to you.Contact the Western Union agent office through the email address stated below inform them about this notification letter and the transfer of your fund;
Email:westerrpayin@gmail.com
Yours sincerely,
Mr Williams Carl
Assistant Investigation Officer.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
15A Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Nigeria
http://www.efccnigeria.org
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Please note that some fraudsters are claiming to be Directors or staff of The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have recently been sending phony e-mails/letters and also calling unsuspecting persons, with intent to defraud them. It is important to note that these fraudsters are criminals
engaged in Advanced Fee Fraud known in Nigeria as 419. Every day, people throughout the world are falling victim to scams of one kind or another. But
remember – if it sounds too good to be true, it is probably a scam. In the circumstance, we unreservedly advice you to dissociate yourself from all
correspondence and transactions entered into based on evidently fraudulent and fictitious claims.
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See video: ABC expose Nigerian email scam http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz2IFcb7PZM