Hey I've got $1.5 million!

Well, what do you know!

SUBJECT: AMOUNT DUE FOR CREDIT (ON HOLD): "USD $1.2 Million» [sic]

It appears I'm the beneficiary of a sum of $1.2 million (ONE POINT TWO MILLION DOLLARS) that is being held for me by a kindly official in a little West African state, who for some obscure reason appears to be using a Russian email system. I was beginning to think perhaps this was just another 419 scam but no!

this is due to many abnormalities had happened in the institutions where some top official of the apex institutions are interested in your payment and they collaborate with impostors who are carrying a fake portfolios with levies misled and misguided about the position of your fund and having the opportunity to extort money from you that made it too longer up till date that explains why you receive different kinds of untrue emails and phone call from different people everyday.

So that's cleared it up then. The money has accumulated because of the impostors and fakers with abnormalities who have been trying to scam and extort money from me.

Finally be inform that your funds are fully free of any liens or
encumbrances and are clean, clear and non-criminal origin and are available to pick, this guarantee is witness by the World Bank Group, International Monetary Funds IMF Paris and London Club of creditors, European Economic Community EEC, EFCC Africa and the Envoy's of our Correspondence International Bank of Settlement world Wild.

Phew! I'm relieved to hear that the "International Bank of Settlement world Wild" says it's OK. Apparently I have to send my contact details and pay a charge:

They will chargeyou $165 a great deal less than a money wire service would to enable the programming of your information in the micro chip compartment of
central computer and your code will be send to you to enable you cash your money at your convenient time.

$165 to program the micro chip compartment sounds entirely reasonable.

Full marks to the scammer for his creative writing skills. This email is almost funny enough to be worth $165 just to find out the next thrilling installment ... but not quite.

PS It's OK, I've just received an offer of help from the [Nigerian] Financial Crime Commission (variously calling themselves "the finance security commission" and "THE FOC TEAM"). All I have to do is send them details of the scams and they will refund me. Golly! Here it is:

ATTN : this is not one of the popular jingo that has to do with 'you have won a lottery-Lotto scam' 'Represent our company-cashiers check scam' 'Business proposal deal -All in the way to make you fork out an upfront fee’. Nigeria as you well know is the den for evil perpetrators which are well classified by the dictionary to as scammers.

Not the "popular jingo", oh no.

Permit me to introduce our establishment to you if this letter concerns your interest, the financial crime outburst in collaboration with the Nigerian finance security commission is out with an aim to make back refunds to the victims of the society and oversea whom has in one way fell a victim of the advance fee fraud so far since either presently or in the past.

So, "the financial crime outburst" is working in collaboration with "the Nigerian finance security commission", eh?

We had a surveillance on cyber cafes and made a scrutiny on account holders of young stars (who are particularly the initiators of this web scam).We have in our custody arrested outh over hundreds and confession stories of how various innocent people oversea particularly USA society are being defrauded on daily basis.

Those "young stars" !

Our aim on this is that the Nigerian government is trying to create a restoration of the country’s image on the internet by making back refunds to victims to make a sustainable development of the .

They are trying to sustain development of the full-stop to restore Nigeria's image?? Now I'm confused.

This letter however is a calling out to victims whom have lost monies no matter how small or large ( this would be paid and doubled up) after due processing irrespective of where they got you on the scam, they could approach you with a deal from United Kingdom,canada,Spain,Nigeria....but they are certainly from Nigeria. the lines which they communicate with you from are tapped diverted lines. This is to say that every scam has its root from NIGERIA.

Aha, "this would be paid and doubled up". We see the first sign of an appeal to greed. The bait is laid.

Like i did explain above, if you wish to receive your hard earned money back (doubled up) or you have a close colleague who was victimized, kindly send us such information with proof of transaction details you have with these con men to enable necessary proceedings. But if you have never been scammed you could contact us for internet web advises on tractions which you are currently having at the moment, this puts you on safe grounds.

I'm doubled-up just reading this! I don't think I will be contacting them for "web advises" even if it will "puts [me] on safe grounds".

The punch line is the sig:

THE FOC TEAM
...restoring the image of Nigeria
Hotline- (234) 8032 140873

(234) is the country code for Nigeria where these bozos are most probably located. I don't think they are doing much to restore Nigeria's image though.


PPS FraudAid is yet another site offering assistance to the victims of 419ers and other scamsters. The site looks legit but who knows. Maybe it is run by a young star in a Nigerian cyber cafe?