Money Transfer Scam | Central Bank of Nigeria | Mary Anderson

Have you noticed?

A lot of the 419 and Lottery crooks have realized the problem with using Freemail accounts.

A Hotmail, Yahoo or Google account just does not look all that serious or trustworthy when sending out a scam e-mail.

So I have noticed that some of them take the time to look for domains which look better than freemail accounts.

For example, an e-mail from a lawyer (yes, there are lawyers in Nigeria who regularly do the 419 scams) uses an e-mail account from lawyer.com. Or someone claiming to be a "minister of whatever" uses minister.com.

You get the idea?

Now it's not that they actually send their mails from these domains, that is hardly the case. Instead they use a fictive e-mail address like Imalier123@lawyer.com as in the example below. That is easy to do and they always give you an alternative, sometimes "private freemail account", where you have to send your reply to.

In this case it is safcm@officeofthepresidency-nig.com

Now that looks impressive doesn't it?

If only the "dash nig" was not in there, it would be more impressive and, more to the point, it would be more believable, wouldn't it?

Now in the case of lawyer.com and minister.com, they are just parked domains with a search page, which could be mistaken to be a real website. But they are not. They have nothing to do with the scam at all. They are just convenient.

The "office of the presidency" on the other hand, has been registered with the sole purpose of providing a half believable e-mail address. There is no website to be found, just an index list.

If you research the domain name "officeofthepresidency-nig.com" you will see it has been registered, but not by whom. The only thing you will find is an IP address from a server in Australia.

Australia?

I reckon that is far enough away from Nigeria so as not to be a problem. And that's one reason why it has been hosted there.

The problem is, most people don't see the e-mail account. And those who do, see accounts which look right, at least at first glance.

Sometimes you have to look very close to recognize the crooks.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA <info3542@bcbank.com>
Date: 19.03.2003 04:36
Subject: RE: OVER DUE CONTRACT PAYMENT/TRANSFER ADVICE IN YOUR FAVOUR.
To: undisclosed-recipients


CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA
Federal Capital Territory,
Face II Garki-Abuja, Abuja-Nigeria
Ref: CBN-0XX2/987
Phone: 234 8080775365, fax: 234 8085403649


Our Ref: FGN/FOU/KTT/CBN Date: 15/12/2007

ATTN: BENEFICIARY

RE: OVER DUE CONTRACT PAYMENT/TRANSFER ADVICE IN YOUR FAVOUR.

CONTRACT NUMBER: NNPC/PED/WR-PH/004/95 AMOUNT: US$15.5 MILLION DOLLARS

This is to notify you of the new order on the release of your contract fund held in the Second meeting on 10th June, 2007 by President Alh Umaru Yar’Adua and the Federal Executive Council of Nigeria, Senate commission member, the Governor and Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that your contract payment will now be paid by CBN TELEX WIRE UNIT (KTT) (CBN). Prior to these proceeding anomalies, we have been mandated by the Senior Economic Adviser to the President under the auspices of our sovereign head of authority to contact you in respect of this below information. You are reported to be hospitalized and dead for about one month now by your representative Engr. Williams Okon and your partner Mr. Marvyn Jon King of Canada forwarding the below account for the transfer of your contract fund as instructed by you with power of attorney.

NORTHWEST TRUST BANK
ONE OAKBROOK TERRACE, CHICAGO,
ILLINOIS, USA, 6023-1376
ABA ROUTING NO: 171000152
A/C NO: 12 49819
A/C NAME: TITAN ERECTORS, GERARD V. RADICE/KONZENG

We will not hesitate as we are under mandate to ensure that your fund is transferred immediately without further delay. In respect of this as we have already programmed your fund to be transferred as soon as we hear from you. Attached is the passport photograph of the two people. Please confirm very urgently to enable us conclude/effect your transfer immediately hence it has already been programmed, pending on your response to the above information.

Please note that your urgent attention in this respect will be highly appreciated as it will help  us to clear this subject matter at the earliest time and get your proceed transferred immediately as instructed. If you did not instruct this change contact the Special Adviser to the president on foreign contract matters: Mr. Isa Ahmed Bello with this email: safcm@officeofthepresidency-nig.com, to avoid and stop the transfer of this fund because this office will not be held liable for any wrongful transfer thereafter.

You are also advice to send him your contract details also with your valid telephone and fax numbers.

Regards

Mrs. Mary Anderson
Executive Secretary (CBN).

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