419 scam: "Mr.Jones Robinson"<info@iimf.org> TREAT AS URGENT.

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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:
- "western union" (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. )
- "money gram" (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. )
- "hundred thousand us dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "economic and financial crimes commission" (This name is often mentioned in money recovery scams (re-scam): the real EFCC does not contact victims to offer to get their money back because that is near impossible. )
- "economic financial crime commission" (This name is often mentioned in money recovery scams (re-scam): the real EFCC does not contact victims to offer to get their money back because that is near impossible. )
- "(efcc)" (This name is often mentioned in money recovery scams (re-scam): the real EFCC does not contact victims to offer to get their money back because that is near impossible. )
- "farida waziri" (This name is often mentioned in money recovery scams (re-scam): the real EFCC does not contact victims to offer to get their money back because that is near impossible. )
- "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
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.
- imf.efcc22@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr.Jones Robinson" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <imf.efcc22@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:40:21 +1000
Subject: TREAT AS URGENT.

Attention, .

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.

I am Mr. Jones Robinson a highly placed official of the International
Monetary Fund (IMF). It may interest you to know that reports have
reached our office by so many correspondence on the uneasy way which
people like you are treated by Various Banks and Courier Companies across
Europe to Africa and Asia and we have decided to put a stop to that and
that is why i was appointed to monitor
your transaction here in Africa and Europe from the (IMF) that your
compensation funds gets to you

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.

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 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) we are working hand in
hand with ECONOMIC FINANCIAL CRIME COMMISION of Nigeria (EFCC) 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
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and as a consequence of our
investigations it was agreed that the sum of Five hundred thousand US
Dollars
(US$500,000) 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.and those not
in Nigeria would be paid by he UNITED NATIONS in the
United Kingdom.

Contact the ECONOMIC FINANCIAL CRIME COMMISSION through the email address
stated
below inform them about this notification letter and the transfer of your
fund;and if you were not scammed from Nigeria your request would be
transffered to the paying Organisation

Email: imf.efcc22@hotmail.com

Yours sincerely,
JOnes Robinson International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)Mrs Farida Waziri
15A Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Nigeria
http://www.efccnigeria.org

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam