419 scam: "CENTRAL BANK OF BENIN REPUBLIC"<adam@linux.lmcc.fju.edu.tw> CENTRAL BANK OF BENIN REPUBLIC

joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet

Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days

Home

About Us

Spam

419/Nigeria

Fraud

Contact

"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. )
- "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. )
- "mtcn" (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)
- "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- "certified bank draft" (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
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: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: <dr.ahamed@yandex.com>
Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2017 12:07:05 -0700
Subject: CENTRAL BANK OF BENIN REPUBLIC

CENTRAL BANK OF BENIN REPUBLIC OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR ELECTRONICS/INTERNET BANKING DEPARTMENT TINUBU SQUARE COTONOU – BENIN REPUBLIC DEAREST BENEFICIARY. MY NAME IS MR: ALPHA AHAMED I AM THE DIRECTOR OF ELECTRONICS AND INTERNET BANKING DEPARTMENT OF CENTRAL BANK OF BENIN REPUBLIC.

I AM SENDING THIS PRIVATE EMAIL TO YOU BASED ON THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF THE TRANSACTION. PLEASE, I WILL LIKE TO ADVICE IF AFTER READING THIS PROPOSAL YOU DO NOT ACCEPT IT, KINDLY KEEP IT TO YOURSELF OR DELETE IT. AS AT THIS MOMENT, I AM STILL WORKING WITH THE CENTRAL BANK OF BENIN REPUBLIC (CBN) AND I WILL NOT BY ANY MEANS LIKE TO LOSE MY JOB. I HAVE PUT IN OVER 15 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THIS BANK BUT UNFORTUNATELY HAVE NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT. I THINK THIS IS MY GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO SECURE A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR MY FAMILY AND CHILDREN SINCE MY GOVERNMENT HAS REFUSED TO TAKE CARE OF ITS RESPONSIBILITIES. INFARCT I AM SICK AND TIRED OF EVERYTHING IN THIS COUNTRY.

I HAVE DISCOVERED FROM MY INVESTIGATION THAT YOU ARE A FUND BENEFICIARY WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF BENIN REPUBLIC AND UNITED NATIONS AND THUS YOU HAVE PAID EVERY FEE AND MET ALL THE STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS IN RESPECT OF YOUR FUND PAYMENT BUT TILL THESE DAY YOU HAVE RECEIVED NOTHING. PLEASE BE EQUALLY ADVISED THAT CENTRAL BANK OF BENIN REPUBLIC IS THE ONLY FINANCIAL INSTITUTION THAT CAN PAY YOUR FUND TO YOU HENCE THERE IS NO OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTION IN AFRICA/WORLD THAT CAN HANDLE YOUR FUND PAYMENT/INHERITANCE FUND WITHOUT INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE CENTRAL BANK OF BENIN REPUBLIC. INVESTIGATION HAS REVEALED THAT YOUR PROBLEM IS THAT OF INTEREST GROUP THUS IT HAS AFFECTED VIRTUALLY EVERY FINANCIAL AND SECURITY DEPARTMENT SUCH AS THE UNITED NATIONS, WORLD BANK, IMF, EFCC, FBI, CIA, HOMELAND ETC. SEVERAL PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN YOUR PAYMENT AND THAT EXPLAINS WHY YOU RECEIVE SEVERAL EMAILS AND PHONE CALLS FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE EVERYDAY.

NOTE THAT THEIR GAME PLAN IS TO DEFRAUD AND FRUSTRATE YOU UNTIL YOU ABANDON YOUR FUND THEN THEY WILL BE COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO TRANSFER YOUR FUNDS INTO THEIR OVERSEAS PARTNERS ACCOUNT. THEIR AIMS AND TARGET IS NOT THE MONEY YOU ARE SENDING TO THEM BY WESTERN UNION AND MONEY GRAM BUT TO FRUSTRATE YOU OUT OF RECEIVING YOUR FUND HENCE YOU HAVE LOST TRUST AND CONFIDENCE ON EVERYBODY AND DON’T KNOW WHO TO BELIEVE OR TRUST AS GENUINE OFFICER. I CAN SEE THAT YOU HAVE LOST HOPE AND INTEREST IN CLAIMING YOUR FUND DUE TO SEVERAL FRAUDS COMMITTED AGAINST YOU. BUT I HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR YOU IF ONLY YOU WILL COOPERATE WITH ME.

IF WE MUST SUCCEED IN THIS, THEN YOU MUST QUIT FROM COMMUNICATING WITH THOSE IMPOSTORS IF NOT THEY WILL CONTINUE TO SUCK YOUR FINANCE DRY AND STILL YOU WILL END UP NOT RECEIVING YOUR FUND. BUT I HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR YOU BY MY POSITION AS THE DIRECTOR OF ELECTRONICS AND INTERNET BANKING DEPARTMENT OF CENTRAL BANK OF BENIN REPUBLIC I AM IN CHARGE OF ISSUING ATM VISA CARD AND CERTIFIED BANK DRAFT. AFTER GOING THROUGH YOUR FILE, I HAVE DISCOVERED AN ACCRUED INTEREST AMOUNT OF US$8.5 MILLION ON YOUR FUND. THIS ACCRUED INTEREST AMOUNT OF USUS$8.5 MILLION IS WHAT I INTEND TO PAY YOU SECRETLY BY WAY OF ISSUING YOU WITH A VISA ATM CARD. BE INFORMED THAT I HAVE WITHDRAWN THE ACCRUED INTEREST AMOUNT OF USA $8.5 MILLION FROM THE DOMICILIARY ACCOUNT SET UP FOR
YOUR PAYMENT AND PROCESSED AND UPLOADED THE FUND INTO AN ATM CARD FOR ONWARD DISPATCH TO YOU. I SPENT A TOTAL SUM OF US$2,550 TO PROCESS AND UPLOAD THE ACCRUED INTEREST SUM INTO THE VISA ATM CARD FROM MY POCKET.

PLEASE BE INFORMED TH! AT I HAVE PERFECTED PLANS TO HAVE THIS VISA ATM CARD DELIVERED TO YOU. PLEASE I NEED ALL YOUR FULL INFORMATION WERE TO DELIVER.

(1). YOUR FULL NAME,
(2). YOUR COUNTRY,
(3). YOUR DIRECT TELEPHONE NUMBERS,
(4). MOBILE PHONE NUMBER,
(5). YOUR CORRECT HOME ADDRESS,
(6). YOUR CURRENT OCCUPATION,
(7). YOUR WEEKLY/MONTHLY INCOME,
(8). YOUR AGE,
(9). YOUR NEXT OF KIN NAME AND EMAIL,
(10)YOUR GENDA I WISH TO ASSURE

YOU THAT WITH MY POSITION HERE AS THE DIRECTOR OF ELECTRONICS AND INTERNET BANKING DEPARTMENT OF CENTRAL BANK OF BENIN REPUBLIC I CAN ACCOMPLISH THIS TASK WITHOUT DELAY AND WITHIN 3 DAYS I WILL DISPATCH THE VISA ATM CARD TO YOUR ADDRESS. BUT YOU HAVE TO ASSURE ME THAT YOU WILL PAY FOR THE DELIVERY OF THE VISA ATM CARD TO YOUR ADDRESS AND REWARD ME WITH THE SUM OF US$250,000 AS SOON AS YOU RECEIVE THE VISA ATM CARD AND START MAKING WITHDRAWALS FROM THE VISA ATM CARD. I AM NOT INTERESTED IN LONG STORIES OR PROTOCOLS, BUT TO PAY YOU WITH THIS ACCRUED INTEREST AMOUNT OF US$8.5 MILLION. SO IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN GETTING THIS ACCRUED INTEREST AMOUNT OF US$8.5 MILLION WHICH I HAVE LOADED INTO A VISA ATM CARD, KINDLY GET BACK TO ME IMMEDIATELY WITH THE PAYMENT OF DELIVERY FEE OF US$98 BEING THE EMS SPEED POST COURIER POSTAGE COST TO YOUR ADDRESS. SEND THE FEE DIRECTLY TO THE NAMES AS BELOW. HOWEVER, I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO PAY THIS DELIVERY FEE OF US$98 BUT I HAVE S! PENT ALL MY SAVINGS ON T
HE PROCESSING AND UPLOADI

NOW I AM LEFT WITH NO OTHER MONEY HENCE I URGE YOU TO PAY THE DELIVERY FEE AS IT IS THE ONLY FEE REQUIRED, PLEASE SEND THE MONEY TO THE NAME AS FOLLOWS VIA WESTERN UNION OR MONEY GRAM.

SENDER’S NAME: ATAKPAME ADJO
ADDRESS: COTONOU BENIN REPUBLIC
QUESTION: NOW
ANSWER: TODAY
AMOUNT: US$98

ONCE I RECEIVE THE MTCN FOR US$98 BEEN THE DELIVERY FEES I WILL PAY AND HAVE YOUR VISA ATM CARD DISPATCHED TO YOU AND THEREAFTER I WILL FORWARD MY BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS WHERE YOU WILL TRANSFER MY SHARE OF US$250,000 REWARD. PLEASE IF YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED IN THIS TRANSACTION, KINDLY KEEP IT TO YOURSELF AND DO NOT CONTACT ME. PLEASE CONTACT ME DIRECTLY AND WITH THE TRANSFER DETAILS OF US$98 POSTAGE COST FOR THE EMS SPEED POST TO ENABLE THEM DELIVER YOUR VISA ATM CARD TO YOUR ADDRESS.

REGARDS, MR:
ALPHA AHAMED

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam