419 scam: "Mr. Francis" <francis1@offic-government.bd.tn> Your first ($10,000.00)

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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:
- "western union" (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. )
- "moneygram" (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. )
- "processing 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. )
- "00,000.00" (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)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
MoneyGram money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. Along with Western Union it is a preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
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.
- +22968507886 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. Francis" <francis1@offic-government.bd.tn>
Reply-To: <francis202@yeah.net>
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2016 21:09:56 +0100
Subject: Your first ($10,000.00)

Hi,
We would like to bring your attention to the following updates. The Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation conducted an audit on the West African government account recently. And During our recent audit, the total sum of (US$7,800,000.00) were discovered which has been approved in your favor but still unclaimed; We were meant to understand from our findings that you have been going through hard ways by paying a lot of charges to see the release of your funds which has been the handwork of some miscreant elements from this country. We certainly do apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused. It is my pleasure to inform you that we have processed your payment and you are instantly qualified to be receiving $10,000 on daily basis, both through Western Union and MoneyGram. All you need to start receiving $10,000 both through Western Union and MoneyGram is (Endorsement and processing fee) of $125 which is a laid down procedure in the financial institution for a situation like this and it is a basic requirement for you to successfully claim the funds. In order to help us serve you better and expeditiously, you are requested to send this $125 through MoneyGram on a reasonable time.
Receiver's name: John Mmabia
City: Calavi
Country: Benin Republic
As an insider in this Financial Institution, I can assure you that once you have provided to the Bank with their demands, they would now be under legal obligation to transfer your first $10,000 within 45mins.

Sincerely,
Mr. Daniels Francis Egoyibo
Office of the Accountant General of the Federation
Tel +229 6850 7886

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam