419 scam: "Compensation Office"<postmaster@localhost.com> YOUR TRANSACTION INVESTIGATION UPDATE

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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:

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. )
- "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- "cotonou" (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.
- officedesk1@superposta.com (Superposta; can be used from anywhere worldwide)

Fraud email example:

From: "Compensation Office" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <officedesk0@superposta.com>
Date: Tue, 1 Oct 2013 18:21:54 -0400
Subject: YOUR TRANSACTION INVESTIGATION UPDATE

Detective Alex Murphy
Head of Internet scam investigation Panel
Address: Zaria Street, Off Samuel Akintola
Garki 11, Garki-Abuja Nigeria.

Attention,

We
contacted you some time ago after the discovery and report contained in
this email regarding scams you may have been into or still going
through from impostors in West Africa that sends out thousands of scam
emails daily looking for foreigners to rip off imposing offices and
personals here but you did not reply or the email was not delivered, we
are writing again to let you know that those impostors and fraudsters
who have been sending you scam email all have your email and other info
on their files and that is why you have been receiving all kinds of scam
email, some group of impostors caught ripping foreigners off from a
local cyber cafe in Lagos Nigeria,Cotonou Benin republic and Accra Ghana
confessed imposing Banks/Delivery Company/EFCC/IMF/FBI/Western
Union/Money gram/Diplomat Agents/ and others imposed offices around the
globe especially in West Africa and your info is with them, we were told
they have requested money after money for acquiring never existing and
fake documents from most of their victims.

You are being
contacted by the Internet Scam Investigation Department of the
Economical and Financial Crimes,the people you are dealing with are all
impostors operating from different part of Africa, they only want your
money and they are the same people but write you differently and that is
why you may have been receiving a lot of email daily and you are
confused because you don't know the truth, you find it very easy sending
your personal information to any emails claiming they have fund
approved in your name and you have not made true inquiry before you
start dealing with them and as a result your info is on the internet and
that gives these fraudsters easy access to flood your email box with
scams,they are not what and never who they claim and I don't know how
long you have been dealing with them or responding to them,

You
can not blame any real Bank in West Africa or any personnel here, these
impostors impose them and scam thousands of foreigners but you end up
blaming these real offices in Africa or the personals only because you
don't know it was not really them but impostors.

I ask, have you
been able to find out why you receive all kinds of emails daily claiming
it have funds for you here and there? Have you really inquired from the
right office in West Africa to know if there is actually any true
approved fund you have here? if there is any fund awarded in your name
at all? Or do you believe anybody that contacts you and says they have
fund for you? recent report from the Internet Scam Investigation Dept
revealed that 78% of internet crimes in Africa is being carried out by
jobless youths in West Africa (issue on unemployment rate in West
Africa) authorities are working hard to eradicate internet scams West
Africa to protect the image of this continent,it was also revealed that
these fraudsters has partners working with them all over the World, so
it is all over the World.

By the virtue of subsection (3) of
section 4 of the 1999 Economical and financial crime Constitution all
102 Section 120 of the Criminal Procedure Act gives the court a
discretion for judgment against these impostors to serve 21years jail
terms,furthermore the Nigerian Government shall no longer award
compensation fund having dne that few years ago, Meanwhile you are
advised to contact the Foreign Affairs Commission to make inquiry if you
have any approved fund in Africa be it compensation
fund/contract/inheritance/winnings make your inquiry first from the
Foreign Affairs Commission, contact Mr.Fabian C. Obi on the following
e-mail: officedesk1@superposta.com

Foreign Affairs Commission
Mr.Fabian C. Obi
E-mail: officedesk1@superposta.com

Report
any email you receive that claims to have funds for you from West
Africa to this office.the only office you should contact and know the
truth if you have ay true fund approved here or if you are among the
compensated beneficiaries is the Foreign Affairs Commission,

Detective Alex Murphy
Head Internet Scam Investigation and Information Group
Economical and Financial Crime Commission.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam