Is this the Nigerian scam?

I just recieved this e-mail through my Yahoo account.

Dear [I edited out my last name here],

I am a staff of AFRICAN EXPRESS BANKING CORPORATION,My name is JOHN
MIKE, a Banker. I am the personal Account Manager to Engr. R. [I edited out my last name here], who
was formerly working with shell Development company in Nigeria
hereinafter, referred to as my clientele. On 30th J AN 2000, my clientele,his
wife, and their three children were involved in the Kenyan
Airways(registration number 5Y-BEN) air crash which departed from Nairobi to
destination Lagos and all the family died in this fatal air mishap on 30th JAN
2000.

Since then I have made several inquiries to locate any of my
clientele's extended relatives, this proved unsuccessful. After these several
unsuccessful attempts, I decided to trace his last name on the Internet,
to locate any member of his family hence I contacted you. I have
contacted you to assist in repatriating the money and property left behind by
my clientele before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by
the Bank(AFRICAN EXPRESS BANKING CORPORATION) where these huge deposits
were lodged where the deceased had an account valued at about (20.5
Million U.S Dollars). Recently, my Bank(AFRICAN EXPRESS BANKING
CORPORATION) issued me a notice to provide my clientele's next of kin or have the
account confiscated within the shortest time frame.


Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for years now,
I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin to the deceased
since you have the same last name with him so that the proceeds of this
account valued at (20.5 Million U.S Dollars ) can be paid into your
account.As a matter of business, the sharing formular runs thus : 55% to
me and 40% to you and 5% set aside to offset expenses incurred by both
parties. An attorney will be contracted to help us to obtain all the
necessary legal documents that can be used to back up your claims.

All I require is your honest co-operation to enable us see this deal
through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate
arrangement that will protect us from any breach of the law.

Best regards,
JOHN MIKE.
NOTE; Please reply with my alternative email address
[email protected]

My Yahoo account does not have any of my real information. How did they get my last name? I use this account mainly for spam, and I do not give out my real info.

Holy crap !! Another one !! What's going on here?

OFFICE OF THE ACCOUNTANT
CONTRACT AWARDING COMMITTE
ECOWAS HEADQUARTERS
LOME,REPUBLIC OF TOGO.

DEAR.

Forgive my indignation if this message comes to you as a surprise and if it might offend you without your prior consent and writing through this channel. I am SOLOMON IKE, The DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, Contract Awarding Committee of the ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES ( ECOWAS) with Headquarters in Lome, Togo.I got your information in a business directory from the Togolaise Chamber of Commerce and Industries when I was searching for a reliable,honest and trustworthy person to entrust this business with.I was divinely inspired and motivated to pick your contact from the many names and list in the directory. This fund was a residue of the over invoiced contract bills awarded by us for the supply of hard/softwares,phamaceauticals/medical items,light and heavy duty vehicles, apparels and other administrative logistics etc for the ECOMOG in Sierria-Leone and Liberia during the Peace Keeping Projects. This DEAL was deliberately hatched out and carefully protected with all concerned.As the DIRECTOR OF FINANCE of CAC,I arranged and over invoiced the contract funds supplied by different companies from different countries during the crisis. It was my consensus to seek the assistance of a willing foreigner who will come for the claims of the money which was deposited as a cosignment in the security company in Togo. SO,by virtue of my posiition as the DIRECTOR OF FINANCE of CAC,i transfered four trunk boxes which was deposited with the security company in Togo.the content of these is fourty-five million united states dollars (us$45m). I need a trustworthy foreigner like you that will assist me to a logical conclusion of benefit earnestly,all i need from you is to stand before the security company and sign as my foreign business partner to enable you claim the money and pay it into your bank account. Based on the laws and ethics of employment,we as civil servants working under this organisation, are not allowed to operate a foreign account.This is the more reason why i needed your assistance to come and stand as my foreign business partner who will stand and sign for the release order of this money which was deposited as a consignment in the security company. that can sustain this fund for safe keeping and my future investment with your comprehensive advise,assistance and partnership in your country. I have however agreed,to compensate your sincere and candid effort in this regard with 30%(percent) of the fund after the transfer in your account and 10% (percent)will be set aside for any expenses both local and international,telephone bill etc.will be settled from this percentage,while 60% (percent) will be for me. This transaction will be successfully concluded within 7 days if you accord me your unalloyed and due cooperation.You should provide the followings; YOUR NAME OR COMPANY`S NAME WITH COMPLETE ADDRESS, YOUR PRIVATE TELEPHONE AND FAX NUMBERS.FOR THE CHANGING OF THE BENEFICIARY OF THE CONSIGNMENT IN THE SECURITY COMPANY IN LOME. Upon the receipt of this informations,the documents will be forwarded to you from Togo,for security reason. As a practice of all organised (sensitive)and conspired DEALS,i solicit for your unreserved confidentiality and utmost secret in this business. I hope to retire peacefully and lead a honourable business life afterwards.There are no risks involved. If this deal interest you,call me immediately for more details on my private/confidential telephone

Best Regard
SOLOMON IKE.

EDIT: Update !!
One more in my inbox.

FROM THE DESK OF JAMES ANI
EKO INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC
LAGOS BRANCH, NIGERIA.
TELL 234-80-335-7744.


Dear Huffman,

I am [JAMES ANI] the Personal ACCOUNT MANAGER to late MR.Williams
Huffman, a national of your country,who used to work with NIGERIAN NATIONAL
PETROLEUM COOPERATION [NNPC] here in nigeria.
On the 21st of March 2003, our customer, his wife and three children
were involved in a car accident along WUSA ABUJA Express Road.All
occupants of the Vehicle unfortunately lost their lives.

Since then, i have made several enquiries to your embassy to locate any
of his extended relatives, and this has proved unsuccessful.After these
several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to track his last name over
the Internet, to locate any member of his family to assist in
repatriating the money and property he left behind by my customer before
they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by the Bank, where
he deposits this huge amount $ 17,000,000.00 seventeen million dollars
in our Bank, [EKO INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC].
Particularly, [EKO INTERNATIONAL BANK] where the deceased had a deposit
of seventeen million dollars($17,000,000.)USD. The BANK has just ISSUED
a notice that if the next of kin should not be provided that the money
will be forwarded to the federal goverment account or have the deposit
confiscated within the next SEVEN official working DAYS,due to the
rules of the bank.

Since we/I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over 10
months now.I personal seek your consent to present you as the next of
Kin of my deceased customer hence both of you has thesame last name to
enable us take over the proceeds of this deposit value at $17,000.000.00
SEVETEEN million dollars be paid to you and then you and i will share
the money base on percentages. I do not know if you are in anyway
related to him as your last name are thesame to his, even if you are not in
anyway related to him, I want to know if you will be interested to do
the business with me.

If you are interested in this proposal,I will want us to have a meeting
to enabl us agree on the modalities
to do the business and the sharing ratio and the method to carry out
the business investments.

Above the meeting, it will afford us the opportunity to know ourselves
and to know the roles to be played by any of us.

I have all necessary legal documents that can be used to back up any
claim we may make, and with my possition as his personal acount manager.

All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us pull this deal
through, i guarantee that this will be executed under a
legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of law.

You have to assure me of your honesty and sincerity that you will not
sit on the fund when it is finally released for you, to enable us forge
ahead immediately.


like i said, i will retrieve a space from the late mr williams deposits
certificate and insert your name as the lagitimate next of kin to him,
because i have all his doposits certificate.

Please get in touch with me through e-mail to enable us discuss further
or you call my private number above.

Best regards.


[MR JAMES ANI]
[EKO INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC]

These things are multiplying !!!!!

Damn

[Edited on 3-26-2004 by darklanser]

I get these all the time. Here is what I email them back:

Well Mahmoud. I guess I will have to pass on your generous proposition. I don�t have the time to work it all out for you. However, I did have the time to contact the FBI and US Secret Service about your bull#. Thanks god and praise allah that they now are tracking your IP addresses. Good luck!





THIS IS NOT AN AUTOMATED RESPONSE



Thank you for your submission to the FBI Internet

Tip Line. In as much as the FBI receives reports

of this type of activity on a regular basis there

is no need to forward any such additional emails

to the FBI.



You indicate that you are aware that these

solicitations are fraudulent, so I will not

caution you against responding to them. However,

I have included our standard caution to the public

simply because it contains information of which

you may not be aware.



A review of the information you provided revealed

that you are being approached over the Internet to

participate in one of many variations of an

advance fee scheme being perpetrated by

individuals from various West African nations,

particularly Nigeria. This scam has also become

popular and perpetrated by individuals all over

the world, including in Korea, Ghana, Switzerland

and the UK. Victims have lost substantial funds

in the past and all requests for travel to foreign

locations should be ignored. The United States

Secret Service (USSS) has developed an excellent,

detailed description of this fraud scheme, which

can be accessed at

www.secretservice.gov... If

you have been victimized by one of these schemes,

please forward appropriate written documentation

to the USSS, Financial Crimes Division, 950 H

Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20223, or telephone

(202) 406-5850. We encourage you to share this Web

page with family and friends. Your continued

cooperation in this and other matters is greatly

appreciated.



For your information, the Internet Tip Line (ITL)

was created on 9/11/01, in response to the

terrorist attacks upon America. We quickly

established a mechanism for the public to submit

information to the FBI via the Internet, and we

received our first tip at 10:31 AM that first day.

Director Mueller has since made the ITL a

permanent part of FBI operations, and we have thus

far received over 750,000 tips from around the

globe, from which thousands of leads have been

sent to FBI Field and Legal Attach� offices for

action.



Initially, almost 100% of the tips received were

related to the terrorist attacks; now,

approximately 45% of all tips received are related

to almost every other FBI criminal program, e.g.,

drug trafficking, organized crime, money

laundering, pyramid schemes, child pornography,

fugitives, bank robbery.



Our operation is completely automated and

paperless. Submitted tips are received

immediately, reviewed within minutes and

prioritized by trained Professional Support

personnel, and Agents set action leads within the

hour, as appropriate.



I encourage you to share this information with

your family, friends, and co-workers, and

encourage them to not hesitate to submit

information they may deem of interest to the FBI.



IMPORTANT - NOTE THE FOLLOWING:



The FBI does not maintain an email address to

submit information or attachments to directly;

therefore, please do not reply directly to this

message via your email client. The FBI maintains

an automated system that is designed to track all

information received, to ensure that all tips are

addressed in a timely and efficient manner.

Therefore, please visit the FBI.GOV Web site again

should you have occasion to submit additional

information. We WILL NOT open or respond to

�reply� email.



Sincerely,



David N. Rushing/cb,

Supervisory Special Agent

FBI Headquarters

Washington, D.C.













US SECRET SERVICE PUBLIC AWARENESS ADVISORY REGARDING "4-1-9" OR "ADVANCE FEE FRAUD" SCHEMES
4-1-9 Schemes frequently use the following tactics:
An individual or company receives a letter or fax from an alleged "official" representing a foreign government or agency;
An offer is made to transfer millions of dollars in "over invoiced contract" funds into your personal bank account;
You are encouraged to travel overseas to complete the transaction;
You are requested to provide blank company letterhead forms, banking account information, telephone/fax numbers;
You receive numerous documents with official looking stamps, seals and logo testifying to the authenticity of the proposal;
Eventually you must provide up-front or advance fees for various taxes, attorney fees, transaction fees or bribes;
Other forms of 4-1-9 schemes include: c.o.d. of goods or services, real estate ventures, purchases of crude oil at reduced prices, beneficiary of a will, recipient of an award and paper currency conversion.
If you have already lost funds in pursuit of the above described scheme, please contact your local Secret Service field office.

Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud Overview
The perpetrators of Advance Fee Fraud (AFF), known internationally as "4-1-9" fraud after the section of the Nigerian penal code which addresses fraud schemes, are often very creative and innovative.

Unfortunately, there is a perception that no one is prone to enter into such an obviously suspicious relationship. However, a large number of victims are enticed into believing they have been singled out from the masses to share in multi-million dollar windfall profits for doing absolutely nothing. It is also a misconception that the victim's bank account is requested so the culprit can plunder it -- this is not the primary reason for the account request -- merely a signal they have hooked another victim.

In almost every case there is a sense of urgency;
The victim is enticed to travel to Nigeria or a border country;
There are many forged official looking documents;
Most of the correspondence is handled by fax or through the mail;
Blank letterheads and invoices are requested from the victim along with the banking particulars;
Any number of Nigerian fees are requested for processing the transaction with each fee purported to be the last required;
The confidential nature of the transaction is emphasized;
There are usually claims of strong ties to Nigerian officials;
A Nigerian residing in the U.S., London or other foreign venue may claim to be a clearing house bank for the Central Bank of Nigeria;
Offices in legitimate government buildings appear to have been used by impostors posing as the real occupants or officials.
The most common forms of these fraudulent business proposals fall into seven main categories:

Disbursement of money from wills
Contract fraud (C.O.D. of goods or services)
Purchase of real estate
Conversion of hard currency
Transfer of funds from over invoiced contracts
Sale of crude oil at below market prices
The most prevalent and successful cases of Advance Fee Fraud is the fund transfer scam. In this scheme, a company or individual will typically receive an unsolicited letter by mail from a Nigerian claiming to be a senior civil servant. In the letter, the Nigerian will inform the recipient that he is seeking a reputable foreign company or individual into whose account he can deposit funds ranging from $10-$60 million that the Nigerian government overpaid on some procurement contract.

The criminals obtain the names of potential victims from a variety of sources including trade journals, professional directories, newspapers, and commercial libraries. They do not target a single company, but rather send out mailings en masse. The sender declares that he is a senior civil servant in one of the Nigerian Ministries, usually the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The letters refer to investigations of previous contracts awarded by prior regimes alleging that many contracts were over invoiced. Rather than return the money to the government, they desire to transfer the money to a foreign account. The sums to be transferred average between $10,000,000 to $60,000,000 and the recipient is usually offered a commission up to 30 percent for assisting in the transfer.

Initially, the intended victim is instructed to provide company letterheads and pro forma invoicing that will be used to show completion of the contract. One of the reasons is to use the victim's letterhead to forge letters of recommendation to other victim companies and to seek out a travel visa from the American Embassy in Lagos. The victim is told that the completed contracts will be submitted for approval to the Central Bank of Nigeria. Upon approval, the funds will be remitted to an account supplied by the intended victim.

The goal of the criminal is to delude the target into thinking that he is being drawn into a very lucrative, albeit questionable, arrangement. The intended victim must be reassured and confident of the potential success of the deal. He will become the primary supporter of the scheme and willingly contribute a large amount of money when the deal is threatened. The term "when" is used because the con-within-the-con is the scheme will be threatened in order to persuade the victim to provide a large sum of money to save the venture.

The letter, while appearing transparent and even ridiculous to most, unfortunately is growing in its effectiveness. It sets the stage and is the opening round of a two-layered scheme or scheme within a scheme. The fraudster will eventually reach someone who, while skeptical, desperately wants the deal to be genuine.

Victims are almost always requested to travel to Nigeria or a border country to complete a transaction. Individuals are often told that a visa will not be necessary to enter the country. The Nigerian con artists may then bribe airport officials to pass the victims through Immigration and Customs. Because it is a serious offense in Nigeria to enter without a valid visa, the victim's illegal entry may be used by the fraudsters as leverage to coerce the victims into releasing funds. Violence and threats of physical harm may be employed to further pressure victims. In June of 1995, an American was murdered in Lagos, Nigeria, while pursuing a 4-1-9 scam, and numerous other foreign nationals have been reported as missing.

Victims are often convinced of the authenticity of Advance Fee Fraud schemes by the forged or false documents bearing apparently official Nigerian government letterhead, seals, as well as false letters of credit, payment schedules and bank drafts. The fraudster may establish the credibility of his contacts, and thereby his influence, by arranging a meeting between the victim and "government officials" in real or fake government offices.

In the next stage some alleged problem concerning the "inside man" will suddenly arise. An official will demand an up-front bribe or an unforeseen tax or fee to the Nigerian government will have to be paid before the money can be transferred. These can include licensing fees, registration fees, and various forms of taxes and attorney fees. Normally each fee paid is described as the very last fee required. Invariably, oversights and errors in the deal are discovered by the Nigerians, necessitating additional payments and allowing the scheme to be stretched out over many months.

Several reasons have been submitted why Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud has undergone a dramatic increase in recent years. The explanations are as diverse as the types of schemes. The Nigerian Government blames the growing problem on mass unemployment, extended family systems, a get rich quick syndrome, and, especially, the greed of foreigners.

Indications are that Advance Fee Fraud grosses hundreds of millions of dollars annually and the losses are continuing to escalate. In all likelihood, there are victims who do not report their losses to authorities due to either fear or embarrassment.

In response to this growing epidemic, the United States Secret Service established "Operation 4-1-9" designed to target Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud on an international basis. The Financial Crimes Division of the Secret Service receives approximately 100 telephone calls from victims/potential victims and 300-500 pieces of related correspondence per day.

Secret Service agents have been assigned on a temporary basis to the American Embassy in Lagos to address the problem in that arena. Agents have established liaison with Nigerian officials, briefed other embassies on the widespread problem, and have assisted in the extrication of U.S. citizens in distress.

If you feel you have been a victim of any of these schemes contact your local field office for assistance.


Copyright � 2002 United States Secret Service. All rights reserved.
www.secretservice.gov...
Home | Privacy Policy | Security Notice | Section 508 | Department of Homeland Security | FirstGov.g




-----Original Message-----
From: Mahmoud Rahbaran Mohammad [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 4:27 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Donation to be distributed to the less priviledged.....contact my attorney immediately



From: Mahmoud Rahbaran Mohammad





In my search for a reliable and God fearing person and

having gotten your contact through prayers and

painstaking efforts I have decided to seek your help

in carrying out my last wish. My names are Mahmoud

Rahbaran Mohammad from Iran. I'm a 42 years old man

living in Republic of Western Sahara. I was a merchant

and owned two businesses in Western Sahara. I was also

married with two children. My wife and a son(Taofeek)

died in a car accident six years ago.





Before this happened my business and concern for

making money was all I lived for. I never really cared

about other values in life. But since the loss of my

family, I have found a new desire to assist helpless

families. I have been helping orphans in orphanage/

motherless homes. I have also donated some money for

humanitarian needs in some Asian countries. Before I

became ill, I kept US$8.5 Million in a long-term

deposit account in a finance company in Europe.





Presently, I'm in a hospital in Western Sahara where I

have been undergoing treatment for oesophageal cancer.

I have since lost my ability to talk and my doctors

have told me that I have only a few weeks to live. It

is my last wish to see this money distributed to needy

and other charity organizations. Because relatives and

friends have plundered so much of my wealth since my

illness, I cannot live with the agony of entrusting

this huge responsibility to any of them. I would have

use my attorney in distributing the funds but you are

the chosen one through prayers. And moreso, my

attorney needs visa and can not even afford air ticket

to Europe to meet with security company. So, I decide

to contact you.





Please, I beg you in the name of God to help me

collect the deposit and the interest accrued from the

finance company based in Europe and distribute it

accordingly. Use your judgement to distribute the

money and keep 10% of it to yourself. Feel free to

reimburse yourself when you have the money for any

cost you incur during the process of collecting and

distributing the money. If you are willing to help,

please reply as soon as you can.





Endeavor to send and call my attorney who is based

Western Sahara with your full contact details like

your names, address, telephone and fax number so that

he can refer you to the security company in Europe

where the funds is lodged.





Reach my attorney the following details below: Contact

name: Barrister Ben Smith Medube

Email: [email protected]

[email protected]

Direct Satellite telephone: (00874)762921845





PLEASE, I BEG YOU IN THE NAME OF GOD TO HELP ME

RETRIEVE THE FUNDS FROM THE FINANCE COMPANY IN EUROPE.

AFTER COLLECTING THE MONEY FROM THE FINANCE COMPANY,

YOU WILL NOW TAKE THE MONEY TO ORHANPANGE HOMES IN

AFRICA OR ANY ORPHANANAGE HOME CLOSE TO YOU.



You can visit this weblinks to know more about Western

Sahara: go.hrw.com...

www.cellular-news.com...

www.cia.gov...





May God bless you and your family.





Mahmoud Rahbaran Mohammad

Republic of Western Sahara,

Africa.
















[Edited on 26-3-2004 by dreamrebel]

That is awesome !!!! Thanks dreamrebel !!

I can't believe that anyone would fall for such nonsense.
Money makes people do crazy things though.

I got something similar. Straight in the bin it went and good riddance !

ive gotten several of these in my email inbox lately and my dad used to get them almost every other week in the early and mid 90s. but now theyre emailing them to my cellphone too!!!!!:bnghd: