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The Nigerian Scam, also known as the "419 fraud", after the number of the nigerian law for advanced fee fraud, is started by the 'scam artist' by sending letters similar to the ones reported at the buttom of this page, in which the scammer claims it should transfer incredibly high sums of money, tipically 25-45 million dollars (!!) in a foreign account and asks for your help. The money was acquired more or less legally by various means, for instance by overinvoicing governmental contracts, and should be tranferred out of Nigeria. Your assistance is required. Your personal income will be 10-30% of this sum. Would you believe this? Many people did and payed high prices, including their lives, for that. The scam goes like this: you accept to act as foreign partner for the scammer. At some point of the money transfer procedure, something will go wrong and you will be required to pay a sum, even small, to "facilitate" the bureaucratic procedures in loco. Once you accept this, it becomes difficult to refuse further "little helps", in the illusion that this are very low sums as compared to the final expected gain. You enter a circle at the end of which your bank accounts are empty. In many cases, the victims are requested to travel to Nigeria or neighbour countries to personally intervene in the procedures. Once the victims are there, it becomes easy to spoil them, kidnapp them or worse. Some people just disappeared. The financial loss of US in this "business" was estimated in the order 100 millions US $ per year in the last years. The recent recieval of a few such letters, addressed to one of my personal e-mail addresses, stimulated my curiosity, hence this web page. Also, although the matter is quite serious, I think these letters are funny and represent an expression of creativity of the human mind. One of the links reported below classifies them as a new litterary genre, I quite agree. For this reason I think it is worthwhile to collect variations on the theme and make them available on the net: if you recieved letters of this kind, please post them in the 'Nigerian Scam BBS'. Feel also free to post links to related resources or other on-topic issues. Scam letters I recieved personally: Letter 1 | Letter 2 Anatomy of a case This e-mail, sent to the 419 coalition by a victim, perfectly renders the picture of the kind of situation you might expect to enter by starting a "business" with the scammers The Dangerous Nigerian Scam Letters An overview article on Nigerian Scam Letters 419eater.com. This guy scam the scammers and have them SEND MONEY TO HIM. Amazing psicological skills, great fun See for example this file Need to send a nigerian scam letter? Use the Nigerian Scam Letter Generator A correspondence with a scammer by Ivan P.W. McLellan A correspondence with a scammer by Elisabeth Hanes, a masterpiece of 'reality humor' The 419 Coalition website against the Nigerian Scam NigerianFraudWatch, a site brought by the Nigerian Government. Action is taken exclusively if you have already lost money (!?). Here's the story of a businessman who was kidnapped in Kenia after responding to a scam letter. It turned out the kidnappers were part of a nigerian organization. Fotos of the kidnappers and details. A
Slashdot thread on the subject Excellent Nigerian Scam page by Sam Sloan Once you are there, I strongly advise you to have a look at the whole web site Scamerica.org. Scamerica.org is an informational site dedicated to helping fight the rise in online fraud and Phishing, marketing scams, Spyware and identity theft. Great site!
Return-Path: <dodaniels@hotpop.com> Received: from [211.184.86.61] by omiss lookup for 211.184.86.61 From: Dr. Dehinde Daniels <dodaniels@hotpop.com> FROM THE DESK OF: DR. DEHINDE DANIELS Dear .... Greetings from my country, Nigeria. And by God's grace this is a warm embrace of a lifetime and mutually beneficial relationship between us, hence my writing you. Dr. Dehinde Daniels is my name, 52 years old and an engineer. Happily married with lovely children. Special Adviser on petroleum to the former Military Head of State and presently, Chairman of the Contract Review Panel (C.R.P) appointed by the new Civilian administration, with the mandate to re-evaluate, scrutinize, approve and recommend for payment all previously awarded and executed contracts for the Petroleum Trust Fund (P.T.F). You were introduced to me by a trusted contact in the External Affairs Ministry of Foreign Trade Mission to act fast by helping me and my colleagues as a foreign account holder transfer the sum of US$25.5M (Twenty Five Million, Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) into your personal or company account. You must treat this letter with utmost confidentiality and trust. We cannot afford to toy with this rare opportunity of a lifetime. It may interest you toknow that this is no Scam or fairy tale. To intimate you on the source of this fund, we over invoiced the contract sum of US$500M to 525.5M USD with the intention of using the $25.5M for our personal use and investment should we decide to retire from service. The consortium of ABB Lummus J.G.C of Japan, Julius Berger and Fouguerolle were awarded the said contract in Engineering and procurement work in Rivers and Delta State of Nigeria on the 10th of January, 1998 which was approved and paid in full by the Federal Military Government. The contractors (Foreign) had since been paid and the excess US$25.5M is in an escrow account of the Nigerian Deposit Bank (N.D.B). Because we are still serving and cannot own a foreign account for now as in accordance with the law of my country, that's why we decided to contact you, and more so, the contract was done by foreign contractors and payments were made in United State Dollars, the more reason we urgently need your assistance to receive this money for us. Dear brother, all modalities for the successful transfer of this fund including legal and administrative requirements in Nigeria as well as that of International Arbitration has been worked out. We hope to conclude this transaction within ten (10) banking days once you open communication with me to furnish me your willingness and by fax receive the following information needed for easy transfer of the fund: (1) Your company or full names (2) Company Address (3) Phone/Fax Numbers (4) Bank Name, Address, Account Name, Number and any other information. I shall bring you into the complete picture of this transaction and give you directives you ought to adhere to for the successful transfer. We have agreed that the funds will be shared thus: (1) 20% of the money will go to you for acting as the beneficiary of the fund. (2) 70% to us the Government officials (with which we wish to commence an importation business in conjunction with you). (3) 10% has been set aside as an abstract projection for reimbursement to both parties for incidental expenses that may be incurred in the course of this transaction. Be rest assured that this transaction is absolutely 100% risk free on both side. I await your call very soon. Yours faithfully, Dr. Dehinde Daniels NB. Mode of payment is by solar bank draft or telegraphic transfer.
Return-Path: <alhaji_obioraokoya@yahoo.com> Received: from yahoo.com ([216.236.221.230]) by omiss
(InterMail vM.4.01.03.13 201-229-121-113) with SMTP id <omiss>
for <me>; From: "ALHAJI OBIORA OKOYA"
<alhaji_obioraokoya@yahoo.com> lookup of 216.236.221.230 Subject: URGENT ASSISTANCE
ALHAJI OBIORA OKOYA Dear Sir, REQUEST FOR URGENT (CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP OF THE TRANSFER OF US$46,560,000.00 (FORTY SIX MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS ONLY). I hope this letter will not embarrass you since we have not had any previous communication. I got your reference from the Nigeria Exports Promotion Council (NEPC) and went further to have it confirmed by your countrys trade department under private inquiry that is not related to my aim of writing you this letter. I, on behalf of my other colleagues from different Federal Government of Nigeria owned parastatals decided to solicit your assistance as regards the transfer of the above stated amount into your bank account. This fundarose from the over-invoicing of various contracts awarded in myparastatals to certain foreign contractors some time ago. We as holders of official positions in various parastatals, were mandated by this new civilian government to scrutinize all payments made to certain foreign contractors by the past military government and we discovered that some of the contracts they executed were grossly over-invoiced, either by omission or commission. Also we discovered that the sum of $66,560,000.00 (Sixty-Six Million, Five Hundred and Sixty Thousand United States Dollars Only) was lying in a suspense account, although the foreign contractors were fully paid their entitlements after executing the said contracts. We all agreed that the over-invoiced amount be transferred (for our own use) into a bank account provided by a foreign partner, as the code of conduct of the Federal Civil Service does not allow us to operate foreign accounts. However, we have succeeded in transferring some of these money, precisely US$20,000,000.00 (Twenty Million United States Dollars Only) into a foreign account in GENEVA (SWITZERLAND) last week. But unfortunately, the provider of the account has severed all forms of contacts with us as he has refused to adhere to our earlier mutual agreement insisting that the total amount be paid into his nominated bank account before disbursement will take effect. If for US$20M (Twenty Million United States Dollars Only) we are not compensated, how can one guarantee full compensation on remittance of the balance of US$46.560M (Forty-Six Million, Five Hundredand Sixty Thousand United States Dollars Only). We are therefore seeking your assistance based on the balance amount ofUS$46.560M, which can be speedily processed and fully remitted into yournominated bank account. On successful remittance of the fund into youraccount, you will be compensated with 25% of the amount for assistance andservices and 5% set aside for expenses contingency. This transaction is closely knitted and in view of our SENSITIVE POSITION we cannot afford a slip, I assure you that this transaction is 100% riskfree. We will avail you with our identities as regards our respective offices, when relationship is fully established and smooth operation commences. I am at your disposition to entertain any question(s) from you in respectof this transaction, so contact me immediately through the above telephone and fax numbers for further information on the requirements and procedure. Please note that the DEAL needs utmost confidentiality and your immediate response will be highly appreciated and we will use our own share of the money to establish a lucrative firm in your country. Yours Truly, ALHAJI OBIORA OKOYA
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