419 scam: ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION <scanner@harryhlong.com> DELAYED FUND TRANSFER: ARE YOU THE TRUE BENEFICIARY?

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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:
- "huge sum 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)
- "fund beneficiary" (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. )
- "(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. )
- "nuhu ribadu" (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. )
- "charles soludo" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- "central bank of nigeria" (the name of a person or institution often appearing 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.
- mribrahim.mustafa.magu@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION <scanner@harryhlong.com>
Reply-To: <e.f.c.c@ananzi.co.za>
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2015 07:40:09 +0300
Subject: DELAYED FUND TRANSFER: ARE YOU THE TRUE BENEFICIARY?

Attention:

My name is Mr Ibrahim Mustafa Magu, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) new executive officer in Nigeria. I was until my appointment an Assistant Commissioner of the Nigerian Police and a trained financial crimes investigator with background in forensic accounting from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, USA and the Metropolitan Police, London Institutes.

I am writing in regards to a file on my desk bearing your names, which contains information concerning the supposed transfer of some huge sum of money to your bank account by the Central Bank of Nigeria during the stewardship of Mr Charles Soludo(May 29, 2004 – May 29, 2009) and Mr Sanusi Lamido Sanusi(June 3, 2009 - February 14, 2014) as CBN Governors and the Chairmanship of the EFCC under Mr Nuhu Ribadu(2003 - 2007), Mrs Farida Waziri(May 2008 – 23 November 2011) and Mr Ibrahim Lamorde(November 23, 2011 - November 11th, 2015).

Reliable information reaching my desk states that you were not able to get your funds paid to you due to your persistent communication with people who claim to be what they are not, people who frequently impersonate the identity of real government and bank officials to help make themselves and their scam appear legitimate in order to deceive and defraud people like you of your hard-earned money.

I will be ready to help in delivering your fund sum to you with your honest and sincere co-operation with my office but i do not know if i am in contact with the true fund beneficiary because you may just be sharing the same email aliases. If i am, do inform me accordingly through this email: mribrahim.mustafa.magu@gmail.com, if i am not then kindly ignore this letter. Thank you for your anticipated co-operation.

Yours Sincerely,
Mr Ibrahim Mustafa Magu,
Chairman,
EFCC.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam