419 scam: "GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC" <gtb_e@discuz.org> Fund Release Notification.‏

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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:
- "activation fee" (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. )
- "transfer into your account" (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)
- "you are advice to " (this email uses bad English)
- "dear beneficiary," (this SPAM email was probably sent to thousands of people)
- "ecowas " (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- "gtbprivatebox@discuz.org" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
- +2348076387239 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC" <gtb_e@discuz.org>
Reply-To: gtb_ex@discuz.org
Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2010 10:31:34 +0530 (IST)
Subject: Fund Release Notification.‏

Dear beneficiary,
You are welcome to GT Bank Plc. The payment Bank for the 2010 UN Online
Promo. We are pleased to be at your service. We are Regulated and
Stipulated by the Financial Service Authority (FSA), the financial
institutions that govern all financial activities around the World, after
a proper screening and verification excises that was conducted in our Bank
today in addition to receiving confirmation from the UN and The ECOWAS
Online Promotional board, that you are one of the promo winners of
$287,500.00 (TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY SEVEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS
ONLY).

This is to inform you that your funds have been deposited in our transit
account and will be available for immediate transfer into your account
which you are to set up, you are advice to open a Foreign Currency Account
with us where your winnings can be transferred into.
This account will be activated after you have made the initial deposit
from $100 USD and above as your account activation fee or you can open an
online account in our bank and make your transfer online into any account
of your choice.

With our online banking, you can enjoy the convenience of managing your
finances quickly and easily at a time that suits you. You can bank safely
and securely - at work, home or abroad.Our online banking enables you to
do the following.

1. Check your balance, monitor transactions and print your account statement.
2. Pay utility bills, transfer funds between your accounts and to other
Beneficiaries.

Once you open an online account with us we shall send to you, your login
information's, enter your user ID and password and then click the login
button then change the password to the one of your choice. Once you have
successfully logged on, please remember to change your password by
selecting the 'Personal' option from the menu. It is very important you
keep your security details secret at all times to prevent unauthorized
access to your account.What next?
We'll advise that you get back to us within the next 2 working days. Upon
receipt of your email we shall send you our sign up application form to be
completely filled, signed and return to us which will allow us to create
your account.

Please Note that no deductions of any fees is allowed because we received
your money in BOND and it's been duly insured, based on our policies and
as a result of the space of time available, you are hereby advised to act
fast so we can provide you with the best of our banking services.
Please contact me with this email address only

Email: gtbprivatebox@discuz.org
Yours faithfully,
For: GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC
Uwem Akai
MGR, E-Business & Card Services
GTBank Tel: +234-807-6387-239

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam