419 scam: "International Police Authority"<international_policeauthorit@ipa.arg> Do not ignore, 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:
- "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. )
- "huge amount of money" (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 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)
- "hundred thousand united states 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)
- ",500,000" (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 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. )
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.
- 0112348088034788
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.
- josephbunowa@yahoo.com (Yahoo; can be used from anywhere worldwide)
- cole as provided by her; name: joseph bunowa, email: josephbunowa@yahoo.com or josephbunowa@rocketmail.com and phone: 0112348088034788 (Yahoo; can be used from anywhere worldwide)

Fraud email example:

From: "International Police Authority" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <international_policeauthorit@aol.com>
Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2012 22:10:14 -0700
Subject: Do not ignore, treat as urgent!

INTERNATIONAL POLICE AUTHORITY UNITED STATES SECTION
---------------------------------------------------->

JOHN F. KENNEDY RESIDENT AGENCY
ANTI-TERRORIST AND MONITORY CRIMES DIVISION
JFK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
NEW YORK, NEW YORK 11430

We, office of the International Police Authority (IPA) hereby write to
inform you that we stopped a courier personal by the name Mrs. Mary Cole
at (John Kennedy International Airport) here in New York with a
consignment box filled with cash valued at US$10,500,000:00 (Ten Million,
Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars).
In the course of our interview and investigation on the courier personal
she said that the consignment box belongs to you and that she was sent by
a Joseph Bunowa to come deliver the consignment box to you not knowing
that the content of the box is money.

Now, this courier lady is under detention and custody of the office of
(IPA) security in JFK airport N.Y, and we cannot release her until we
carry out our proper investigation on how this huge amount of money
managed to be yours. So, 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 office of
the Nigerian Senate President, because that is the only office that will
issue you the original Award Ownership Certificate of this funds, 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 urge you to contact
back the sender of Mary Cole 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. Mary Cole as
provided by her;

Name: Joseph Bunowa, Email: josephbunowa@yahoo.com or
josephbunowa@rocketmail.com and Phone: 0112348088034788

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 don’t come up
with the certificate we shall confiscate the funds into the government
account then charge you for money laundering and smuggling of currencies
as stipulated in 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 courier lady to come deliver to you your
consignment box also gives you every back up on the money.
Thanks for your understanding and co-operation.

Yours Truly,

Agent Anthony Davidson

JOHN F. KENNEDY RESIDENT AGENCY
ANTI-TERRORIST AND MONITORY CRIMES DIVISION
JFK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
NEW YORK 11430 USA

CC: Canadian Federal Police
CC: GENERAL INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENT (GID)
CC: Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG)
CC: Egmont Group
CC: FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION (FBI USA)
CC: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
CC: Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
CC: International Monetary Fund (IMF)
CC: International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO)
CC: International Banking Security Association (IBSA)
CC: International Air Transport Association (IATA)
CC: Institut de Formation Interbancaire (INSIG)
CC: World Customs Organization (WCO)
CC: Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)
CC: Offshore Group of Banking Supervisors (OGBS)
CC: WORLD CENTRAL BANK (SW)
CC: NIGERIA POLICE FORCE (NPF)
CC: NORTH YORKSHIRE POLICE (UK)
CC: ECONOMIC FINANCIAL CRIME COMMISSION (EFCC)

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam