419 scam: "Christine Lagarde" <info@imf.org> FROM IMF: ARE YOU DEAD OR ALIVE?

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:
- "hundred thousand united states dollars" (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)
- ",500,000" (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)
- "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.

Fraud email example:

From: "Christine Lagarde" <info@imf.org>
Reply-To: imfpaymntreleasedep@hotmail.com
Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2020 13:11:03 +0200
Subject: FROM IMF: ARE YOU DEAD OR ALIVE?

International Monetary Fund Compensation Unit,
Address:1900 Pennsylvania
Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20431
Our Ref: IMF/USA/00112

Attention: Beneficiary,

This is to inform you of your long overdue Payment outstanding in our banking records. We saw your name in our computer data among list of unpaid inheritance, compensations and prize claims individuals and have to update your information's through this email contact for immediate

confirmation.

Your name appeared among the beneficiaries who will receive a payment of $10,500,000.00 ( Ten Million Five Hundred Thousand United States

dollars) and it has been approved already for payment months ago.

However, we received an email from one (Mr. Eric Woo) from Miami Florida who told us that he is your kin relative and that you died in a

coronavirus four months ago. He has also submitted his account information's from United States of America and legal documents to our

legal/litigation department for transfer of the fund to him as your successor.

We are now verifying by contacting your email address as we have in our records before we can make the transfer into his account and for us to

conclude confirmation if you are dead or not.

Please, confirm response immediately to this office before our appropriate release of the outstanding payment against your name listed out. Upon this, I request you re-confirm your full personal information as soon as possible to enable this foreign remittance office finalize the transfer of the fund to your nominated foreign Bank Account as the rightful beneficiary.

This department needs the following information's from you urgently.

1) Your Full name/ Current Address:...
2) Your Driver's License or Int'l passport copy id:...
3) Your Occupation/ Age:..
4) Your Marital Status:..
5) Your Next of Kin:..
6) Your Company's Name if any:..
7) Your Direct Telephone:..

Upon receiving the above, we shall start processing of your payment files immediately as the truly beneficiary of the funds for transfer

instructions to your bank account.

Awaiting your urgent response with the requested,

Best Regards,

Christine Lagarde.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam