Scamming the Scammers – Part One

We’ve all gotten them, SPAM sent to us from some random person in Nigeria (Why is it always Nigeria? Why not the Republic of Congo or something?) saying we have US$25,000,000 waiting for us and we just need to email them back and we can get our long lost money. Well, being a bored college student with really nothing else to do, I’ve decided to play along and have some fun. First, here’s the email I received three days ago:

Attention!!!!!!!

Dear Sir/Madam

During the auditing and closing of all financial records of the Central Bank

of Nigeria (CBN) it was discovered from the records of outstanding foreign

contractors due for payment with the federal government of Nigeria in the year

2005 that your name and company is next on the list of those who will received

their fund.

I wish to officially notify you that your payment is being processed and will be

released to you as soon as you respond to this letter. Also note that from the

record in our file, your outstanding contract payment of USD$25,000,000.00

(Twenty-five million United States Dollars) will be made to you out of your

total sum immediately.

Kindly re-confirm to me if this is inline with what you have in your record and

also re-confirm the informations below to enable this office proceed and

finalize your fund remittance without further delays.

1) Your full name.

2) Phone, fax and mobile #.

3) company name,position and address.

4) profession, age and marital status.

As soon as these informations are received, your payment will be made available

to you via an international certified bank draft which will be delivered to

your door step for your confirmation. You should call my direct number(+

234-1-4346860) as soon as you receive this letter for further discussion and

more clarification.

Also get back to me on this e-mail address( paymentcenter103@hotmail.com)

Best regards,

Dr. James Francis

Accountant General of the Federation

Federal Republic of Nigeria

Contact Tel: + 234-1-4346860

Contact Fax: + 234-1-7594268

The email was from Dr.James Francis @ *******@cenbankng.biz. A quick look at http://www.cenbankng.biz shows that the domain name was “recently registered.” A more through check revealed that the site was registered the same day I recieved the email (wow, this guy doesn’t waste any time). The address, of course, does not exist and the telephone number is also bogus (although he was foolish enough to use a non-existant area code, curious). The X-Originating-IP address show that he might have sent the email from NITEL, the Nigerian Telecommunications Company. In any event, here’s what I wrote back:

John Frank Ferguson

6422 NE 60th St.

Seattle, WA

98115

206-948-1701

Nordstroms, Senior Repair Technician

1642 Olive St.

Seattle, WA

98122

Elevator Repair

42 years old

married

I hope this is what you need. Let me know what the next step is.

-John Ferguson

I didn’t hear back from him until today and I was actually kind of getting worried that he saw through my guise. However, he emailed me today:

ATTENTION:JOHN FRANK FERGUSON

I ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF YOUR EMAIL IN REGARDS TO YOUR OUTSTANDING PAYMENT THROUGH THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA(CBN).WE DUE APPOLOGIZE FOR THE DELAY OF YOUR PAYMENT.

I WISH TO OFFICIALLY NOTIFY YOU THAT YOUR PAYMENATTENTION:

I ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF YOUR EMAIL IN REGARDS TO YOUR OUTSTANDING PAYMENT THROUGH THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA(CBN).WE DUE APPOLOGIZE FOR THE DELAY OF YOUR PAYMENT.

I WISH TO OFFICIALLY NOTIFY YOU THAT YOUR PAYMENT HAS BEEN VERIFIED AND THE CENTRAL BANK AND ALSO THE SANATE COMMITEE ON FOREIGN DEPT HAS APPROVL THE SUM OF US$25 MILLION TO BE MADE TO YOU OUT OF YOUR TOTAL CONTRACT SUM IMMEDIATELY VIA AN INTERNATIONAL CERTIFIED BANK DRAFT,IT ALSO REFLECTED IN OUR SYSTEM AND VALID FOR IMMEDIATE REMITTANCE TO YOU.

I WISH TO INFROM YOU THAT YOUR PROVIDED DETAILS HAS BEEN FORWARDED TO OUR LEGAL DEPARTMENT FOR AUTHENTICATION AND THE RELEASE OF YOUR BANK DRAFT WHICH WILL BE DELIVERED TO YOU BY A FIRST CLASS COURIER COMPANY NAME:(NEDLINK WORLDWIDE COURIER SERVICE).

AS SOON AS OUR LEGAL DEPARTMENT CONCLUDES AND REPORTS TO ME WITHIN 24HRS, YOU WILL BE INFORMED FURTHER ON THE DATE, TIME OF YOUR PAYMENT. YOU SHALL CALL ME ON MY DIRECT TELEPHONE NUMBER: 234 1 4346860 FOR FURTHER EXPLANATION.

ATTACHED IS A COPY OF YOU FUND RELEASE BOND AND CERTIFICATE OF IRREVOCABLE PAYMENT GUARANTEE BOND.

THANKS FOR YOUR EXPECTED CO-OPERATION.

DR.JAMES FRANCIS

ACCOUNTANT GENERAL OF THE FEDERATION

FEDRAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA

CONTACT TEL: + 234-1-4346860

CONTACT FAX: + 234-1-7594268

There were also two pictures attached:

I don’t know about you, but they sure look authentic to me (yea right)!

And so this is where things were left. I anticipate that I will hear from him again in the next day or so.