419 scam: "United States Customs Border Protection"<uscumstoms-borderpro-gov1@usagov.net> U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION AGENCY.

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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:
- "money laundering" ("anti-terrorist", "anti-money laundering" or "drug-free" certificates are a common way for criminals in fake lottery scams and other Advance Fee scams to get you to send money to them. There are no such certificates in the real banking world. )
- "the consignment" (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)
- "consignment " (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)
- "the diplomat " ("diplomats" who perform deliveries of cash or other valuables to you only exist in 419 scams)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
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.
- king_michael10000@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "United States Customs Border Protection" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <uscustoms-borderpro-1@usa.com>
Date: Tue, 29 May 2012 19:12:24 +0100
Subject: U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION AGENCY.

U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION AGENCY
DEFERRED INSPECTIONS UNIT
AMERICAN AIRLINES - TERMINAL NINE
1ST FLOOR ARRIVALS AREA - ROOM 11-161
JFK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
JAMAICA , NY 11430
TELEPHONE: 845 382 9624

We, office of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) hereby write to inform you that we stopped a diplomatic lady by the name Mrs. Lisa Pennington at (John F Kennedy International Airport) here in New York with a consignment box filled with United States Dollars.

In the course of interrogating her, she said that the consignment box belongs to you and that she was sent by one King Michael to come deliver the consignment box to you not knowing that the content of the box is money.

Now, this diplomat (Lisa Pennington) is being kept in the custody of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection security, and we cannot release her until we carry out our proper investigation on how this large Volume money (CASH) managed to be yours. In this regards you are to reassure and prove to us that the money you are about to receive is legal by sending us the Award Ownership Certificate showing that the money is not illegal.

Note that the Award Ownership Certificate must to be secured from the country where the money originated from and must be signed by the country's head of parliament. In this case this Award Ownership certificate is to be obtained from the office of the Nigerian Senate President; this is because the fund originated from Nigeria.

You are advised to forward immediately the Award Ownership Certificate if you have it with you, but if you do not have it, we advise you to contact back the sender of the diplomat to help you secure the Award Ownership Certificate if at all you do not have it.

Below is the contact information of the person that sent Mrs. Lisa Pennington as provided by her;

Name: King Michael

Email: king_michael10000@hotmail.com

Furthermore, we are giving you only but 3 working business days to forward the requested Award Ownership Certificate. Please note that we shall get back to you after the 3 working business days, and if you didn't come up with the certificate we shall confiscate the funds into the Governments account, you will then be charged for money laundering and smuggling of currencies according to the United States Patriot Act bill on money laundering related activities, signed into law (P.L.107-56) by President Bush on October 26, 2001 and the United Nations Chatter on money laundering. But if you forward the Award Ownership Certificate then we will release diplomat with your consignment box also gives you every back up on the money.

Thanks for your understanding and co-operation

Yours Truly,
Commissioner Anthony Leo White.

U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION
DEFERRED INSPECTIONS UNIT
AMERICAN AIRLINES - TERMINAL NINE
1ST FLOOR ARRIVALS AREA - ROOM 11-161
JFK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
JAMAICA, NY 11430.
TELEPHONE: 845 382 9624

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam