419 scam: OFFICIAL NOTICE <w2@xsawa.cf> From the Desk of Mallam Abubakar Malami

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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:
- "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "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)
- "affidavit " (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
- "high court" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
- "federal high court" (This court is often mentioned in '419' scams to give the victim a reason why he/she should send thousands of dollars to the scammers. A 'Federal High Court' exists in Germany and Nigeria, but not in other countries, such as the UK, Spain, Netherlands, Senegal, Benin, South Africa or other countries where fake lawyers in scams often claim to be based. )
- "abuja" (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.
Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.

Fraud email example:

From: OFFICIAL NOTICE <w2@xsawa.cf>
Reply-To: <mohammedchamers1@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2016 21:39:55 +0100
Subject: From the Desk of Mallam Abubakar Malami

>From the Desk of Mallam Abubakar Malami.
Attorney General of the Federation
& Minister of Justice (Barrister)
Address: Federaal Secretariat Towers,
Shehu Shagari Way, Central Area,
P.M.B. 192, Garki, Abuja

Dear Fund Beneficiary

This is to inform you that in the course of my investigation as
director of payment verification / implementation committee I came
across your name as unpaid fund beneficiary in the record of the
central bank and other banks that are suppose to get your funds
released to you. My committee was set up by the payment reconciliation
committee to verify and scrutinize all outstanding debts owed to our
foreign beneficiaries in accordance to the information received from
the United States government and other countries over unpaid huge
debts owed to Foreigners.

Having seen your file and my further questioning to the officials of
the central bank and ministry of finance as to why your payment is
still pending reveals the rot and corruption in the system. The bank
officials told me that the reason why you havenâ€™t received your
payment is due to your inability to pay for the required charges for
transfer of funds to your account. When I asked them why they didnâ€™t
deduct the said charges from your principal sum, I was given the
flimsy excuse that you never authorized them to do so. When I put the
question across to them if they ever advised you that such charges
could be deducted from your principal fund,the answer I got was no.
Now, if you do not tell this beneficiary that such charges could be
deducted from his or her principal fund, how will he or she know that
such options are available for such beneficiaries.The only
Requirements that qualifies the Fund beneficiaries od deduction is the
procurement of an Affidavits.As soon we get an Affidavits fom
you,There must be a legal right to deduct every other expenses.

You are advised to re-confirm to us the below information or call me
immediately for more details.

Your Name:
Your Address:
Your Phone:
Your Mobile:
Your Email:
Your Occupation
Your Sex
Your Age.

>From my investigation I discovered that these bank officials
deliberately refused to let the charges be deducted from your
principal fund because they want your fund to remain trapped in the
bank, while they continue to extort money from beneficiaries under
some flimsy excuse.

all you are required to do is swear to an affidavit at the federal
high court of Nigeria, authorizing the bank to deduct all charges from
your principal fund and transfer the balance of funds after deduction
to your bank account. If you have spent any money in the past in your
quest for payment, kindly let me know so that I can follow this up.
You can reach me on my phone or email for directive on how you can get
the deduction done as soon as possible and get your payment also.

Yours sincerely,

Attorney General of the Federation
& Minister of Justice (Barrister)

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam