 |
 |
Nigerian 419 Fraud Letter Received on Saturday, December 18, 1999
Another scam in Sierra-Leone/Ghana
Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud - U.S. Department of State Report
A Statement from the Central Bank of Nigeria
Where to send complaints about Nigerian 419 Fraud Letters
Links to more information on Nigerian 419 Fraud Letters
The following letter was received by me via e-mail on December 18, 1999. Note that any claims that the letter is confidential is because those perpetrating the fraud do not want to be discovered. There is no moral or legal imperative to actually keep these attempts at fraud confidential.
FROM: MR HAKEEM SULEIMAN
TO: Walter Eric Johnson
STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL AND URGENT.
TEL/FAX:234-90-503984
ALTHOUGH THIS LETTER MAY COME TO YOU AS A SURPRISE,
PLEASE ACCEPT IT AS AN INTRODUCTION OF MYSELF AND A
REQUEST FOR YOUR URGENT ATTENTION. I GOT TO KNOW YOU
THROUGH A CONTACT FROM THE EXPORT PROMOTION COUNCIL
(EPC)
I AM AN ACCOUNTANT AND MEMBER OF THE "TENDER
COMMITTEE" OF MY CORPORATION, THE NIGERIAN NATIONAL
PETROLEUM CORPORATION (NNPC). AFTER DUE CONSULTATION
WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, I HAVE
SPECIFICALLY BEEN MANDATED TO ARRANGE WITH YOU FOR A
POSSIBLE TRANSFER OF SOME FUNDS BEING AN OVER
ESTIMATED SUM RESULTING FROM VARIOUS CONTRACTS
EXECUTED BY SAIPEM, SNAMPROGETTI AND OTHER FOREIGN
FIRMS FOR MY CORPORATION. THE CONTRACTS IN QUESTION
WERE FOR THE FOLLOWING:-
1. THE CONSTRUCTION OF OSO CONDENSATE RECOVERY PLANT
WORTH $1.2 BILLION.
2. CONSTRUCTION OF SEVERAL PIPELINE NETWORK FOR CRUDE,
GAS AND PETROLEUM PRODUCTS EVACUATION, FOR $1.0
BILLION.
3. PURCHASE OF DRILLING AND MAINTENANCE EQUIPMENT
WORTH $700M.
4. $80M FOR TURN-AROUND MAINTENANCE (TAM) OF PORT
HARCOURT AND WARRI REFINERIES.
THE ORIGINAL VALUE OF THESE CONTRACTS WERE PURPOSELY
OVER INFLATED BY US (TENDER COMMITTEE) WITH THE SUM OF
$25.5M (TWENTY FIVE MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND
U.S. DOLLARS ONLY). NOW THAT ALL THE NAMES HAVE
RECEIVED THEIR SUPPOSED PAYMENT ACCORDINGLY AND THE
PROJECTS COMMISSIONED, WE WANT TO TRANSFER THIS OVER
INVOICED SUM TO A TRUSTED FOREIGNER'S ACCOUNT. WE HAVE
AGREED THAT IF YOUR COMPANY CAN ACT AS THE
BENEFICIARY, YOU WILL RETAIN 30% OF THE TOTAL AMOUNT,
70% FOR US. HONESTLY, WE EXPECT THAT SOME MONEY ARE
GOING TO BE SPENT ALONG THE LINE OF GETTING THE
BUSINESS FRUITFULLY EXECUTED. WE EXPECT TO LOBBY TOP
OFFICIALS FOR THEM TO APPROVE THE PAYMENT.
NEVERTHELESS, WE BELIEVE IN THE CONTACT WE HAVE.
ALL MODALITIES HAVE BEEN WORKED OUT WITH THE TOP
OFFICIALS OF THE FEDERAL MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND THE
CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA TO FACILITATE THE REMITTANCE
OF THIS SUM OF MONEY INTO YOUR ACCOUNT WITHIN 14
WORKING DAYS OF RECEIVING THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION
FROM YOU.
1. THE NAME OF BANK, ACCOUNT NUMBER, ADDRESS AND TELEX
OF THE BANK.
2. YOUR PERSONAL PHONE, FAX FOR EASY COMMUNICATION.
WE SHALL ARRANGE A MEETING IMMEDIATELY WITH THE
OFFICIALS INVOLVED FOR A FACE TO FACE TALK AND HITCH
FREE TRANSFER OF THIS SUM OF MONEY INTO YOUR ACCOUNT.
NOTE THAT WE HAVE PUT IN MANY YEARS OF METICULOUS
SERVICE TO THE GOVERNMENT, THEREFORE WE WOULD NOT WANT
OUR REPUTABLE IMAGE DENTED. THEREFORE, HANDLE THIS
ARRANGEMENT WITH MATURITY, TOPMOST SECRECY AND
URGENTLY.
NOTE: REPLY BY FAX IMMEDIATELY TO THIS NUMBER :
TEL/FAX 234-90-503984.
THANK YOU AS I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR IMMEDIATE REPLY.
YOURS FAITHFULLY,
MR. HAKEEM SULEIMAN
Here's another attempt received by many different people on the morning of February 6, 2000. The person, Mrs. Hillary Kargbo, purports to come from Sierra Leone, but 233 is the country code for Ghana. The country code for Sierra Leone is 232.
Attn: The Chairman /Managing Director
Sir,
Re-Personal Business Investment Proposal
It is my pleasure to contact you today at this point in time for an urgent business relationship /investment.
I got your Company's contact from a diplomat who recommended your company for purpose of sincerity and honesty
I am Mrs. Hillary Kargbo from Sierra-Leone, the wife of the Late Central Bank Governor Mr. Christian Kargbo, under the short time ten-month Government of Major Paul Koroma.
He was killed in 1998 among sixteen others on suspicion and accused of aiding the Rebel forces and Major Paul Koroma for a coup d'etat of May 1997 against his Government before the Ecomog Troops restored him back as President. The civil unrest, which took tens of thousands of lives, cost me my Husband, Properties and Family members.
Currently I had discovered classified and secret documents belonging to my late husband under his underground SAFE, only known by me and few of my surviving children.
Among these documents is a Certificate of Deposit of two trunk silver boxes as family treasures kept in a Security Deposit Firm in Accra-Ghana, which I just came over to confirm a few days ago.
Attached with the document is an instruction that, the actual contents are $28,500,000.00 USD (Twenty-Eight Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars), although not to the knowledge of the keeping firm.
I am contacting you please because of GOD to come to my aid in co-receiving these boxes and the subsequent evacuation of funds to your country for onward investment.
I shall be ready to accompany you while I shall fully compensate you accordingly.
Call me immediately you receive this letter so to furnish you all the details you want to know.
My best regards.
Evangelist: Mrs. Hillary Kargbo
Tel: 233-24-383033, Fax: 233-21-302339
E-mail: consultmail@softhome.net
NB: I will be more comfortable to receive your reply by fax due to the sensitive nature of
this transaction.
Over the past 3 years, 15 foreign businessmen (one American) have been murdered in Nigeria in AFF scams.
Since September 1995, at least eight Americans have been held against their will by these criminals in Lagos that have come to the attention of the U.S. Embassy. In 1996 the U.S. Embassy helped repatriate ten Americans who came to Lagos looking for their "pot of gold."
More recently, on July 2, 1996, a Swedish businessman was kidnapped from his hotel in Lome, Togo. Kidnapers, reportedly Nigerian criminals, demanded $500,000 ransom. It is believed that the businessman was a victim of an AFF scam that deteriorated into a kidnaping. After lengthy negotiations between the kidnapers and Swedish police, the victim was released unharmed on July 12, 1996.
...
Once a targeted victim forwards money and/or products to Nigeria in one of these scams, it is difficult, if not impossible, to recoup losses.
The PDF reader is required to read this report. Furthermore, the report is a little over one million bytes in length. For a copy of the entire report, try the following:
From all access away from gruver.net, get it deirect from the U. S. Department of State
From gruver.net dialups and local connections only, get it locally from Gruver.net
| PRESS STATEMENT ON ADVANCE FEE FRAUD/SCAM (A.K.A. 419) |
| DON'T BE FOOLED! MANY HAVE LOST MONEY!! IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS!! |
| 1. The publicity campaigns
by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
have proved successful in sensitising the public about the menace of advance fee fraud and
the falsehood of claims that easy money could be made in Nigeria. Consequently, the
reported incidence of advance fee fraud (A.K.A.'419), has declined significantly.
Nevertheless, there are still some people who have continued to fall victim to the
solicitations of advance fee fraudsters. This warning is, therefore, specifically intended
for the benefit of those misguided people who, in the quest to make easy money at the
expense of Nigeria, are defrauded by international fraudsters. 2. The advance fee fraud is perpetrated by enticing the victim with a bogus 'business' proposal which .promises millions of US dollars as a reward. The scam letter usua!ly promises to transfer huge amounts of money, usually in US dollars, purported to be part proceeds of certain contracts, to the addressee's bank account, to be shared in some proportion between the parties. A favourable response to the letter is followed by excuses why the funds cannot be remitted readily and subsequently by demands for proportionate sharing of payments for various 'taxes' and 'fees' supposedly to facilitate the processing and remittance of the alleged funds. The use of 'fake' Government, Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, etc. documents is a common practice. 3. The fraudsters usually request that the transaction be done under the cover of confidentiality. Sometimes, the victims are invited to Nigeria where they are given red-carpet reception and attended to by the fraudsters, posing as Nigerian Government officials. Quite often the fraudsters invent bogus Government committees purported to have cleared the payments. Also, it is not unusual for them to contrive fake publications in the newspapers evidencing purported approvals to transfer non-existent funds. 4. To consummate the transaction, the 'victim' would be required to pay 'advance fees' for various purposes: e.g. processing fees, unforeseen taxes, licence fees, registration fees, signing/legal fees, fees for National Economic Recovery Fund, VAT, audit fees, insurance coverage fees, etc. The collection of these bdvance fees' is actually the real obiective of the scam! |
5. A recent variant of the
scam directed primarily at charitable organisations and religious bodies overseas involves
bogus inheritance under a will. Again the sole aim is to collect the 'advance fees'
already described above. A new strategy that has also been used to defraud the 'victims'
is an offer to use chemicals to transform ordinary paper into United States dollar bills,
which would be subsequently shared by the parties. 6. You are again warned in your own interest not to become yet another dupe to these frauddulent solicitations or schemes. Genuine and prospective investors in Nigeria are advised to consult their home Chambers' of Commerce and Industry, or Nigeria's Chambers' of Commerce and Industry, Manufacturers' Associations of Nigeria, Federal Ministries of Commerce and Industry, Nigerian Missions in their countries of origin, their embassies or High Commissions in Nigeria for proper briefing and advice. 7. The Central Bank and indeed. the Federal Government of Nigeria cannot and should not be held responsible for bogus and shady deals transacted with criminal intentions. As a responsible corporate body, the Central Bank of Nigeria is once again warning all recipients of fraudulent letters on bogus deals, that there are no contract , payments trapped in the bank's vaults. They are once again put on notice that all documenls appertaining to the payment, claims, or transfers purportedly issued by the bank, its senior executives or the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the various purposes described above are all forgeries, bogus and fraudulent. 8. Please join the Central Bank and the Federal Government of Nigeria to fight the criminal syndicates who play on the gullibility and greed of their victims by reporting any solicitation to your local law enforcement agencies or the local International Police Organisation (Interpol). 9. You have been warned several times before! You have been warned again!! |