419 scam: "CBN"<"WWW."@cotton.ocn.ne.jp> Director ATM Swift Card/Foreign Operation Dept,

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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:
- "activation 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. )
- "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. )
- "money gram" (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. )
- "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)
- "dr. sanusi" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- "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)
- "lagos" (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.
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.

Fraud email example:

From: "CBN" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <drsarahalade27@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2017 04:58:40 -0700
Subject: Director ATM Swift Card/Foreign Operation Dept,

Attn: Fund Beneficiary,

This is a true short note about your unpaid fund with the Nigerian Government, so you need to read very attentively and know why your fund has not been released to you.

My name is Dr. Sarah Alade ; I am a Director, Banking Operations Department working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). I am 43 years old, just started working with the bank. I came across your Contract file marked X and your payment released disk painted RED. I took time to study it and found out that you have paid VIRTUALLY all fees but the fund was not released to you, according to your payment file with the C.B.N, the people that conspired in this arrangement is Professor Charles Soludo and Dr. Sanusi Mallam Lamido and many of them are retired, they continue moving your funds from one Bank to another, the most annoying thing is that they won't tell you the truth that on no account will they ever release the fund to you, instead they allow you spend money unnecessarily.

This is to congratulate you for scaling through the hurdles of screening by the board of directors of this payment task force. Your payment file was approved and the instruction was given us to release your payment and activate your Visa card for use. The first batch of your card which contains $5.7 million. has been activated and is the total fund loaded inside the card. Your fund which is in total $5.7 million will come to you.

Your payment would be sent to you via US EXPRESS LOGISTICS, Because we have signed a contract with them which should expired by August 30th 2017. Good news, We wish to let you, know that everything concerning your VISA CARD payment dispatch is ready in this office and we have a meeting with the house (Federal government of Nigeria) we informed them That your fund should not cost you any thing because is your money (Your Card). Moreover, we have an agreement with them that you
should pay only Activation of your card which is only $200 to enable the Inter-switch department to activate the card before your delivery can take place Immediately.

However, you have only Two working days to send this $200 for the activation of your Visa card, if we don't hear from you with the payment information; the Federal Government will cancel your payment.

Please try and send the Activation fee in the name of the Inter-switch department cashier below

NAME: FEMI AKOBE
ADDRESS: LAGOS NIGERIA
TEXT QUESTION: COLOR?
ANSWER: GREEN

Send it via Western Union Money Transfer or Money gram and let me have the detail as soon as you send it.

Please confirm your full information by tomorrow your ATM Card will be delivered to you and I need you to send me a scanned copy of your ID-card,I wait the payment

information to enable us proceed for the delivering of your VISA card. And when sending the payment information also reconfirm to us your full home address were the US

Express Logistics will deliver the Card to you to avoid any mistake on the delivery.

1) Your Names:..........
2) Contact Address:.....
3) Telephone/Fax:.......
4) Copy of your Identification......
5) Age:.................

I wait the payment information to enable us proceed for the delivering of your card. And when sending the payment information also reconfirm to us your full home

address were to deliver the Card to avoid any mistake on the delivery.

Thank you and have a wonderful day.

Director ATM Swift Card/Foreign Operation Dept,
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Sarah Alade

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam