Often the scammer will claim to be an official government department or agency,

like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Nigeria, Private Investigators
or the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) in the United States. The scammer will
ask for details of the original scam and will then assure the victim that the money
can be recovered for a fee. Understandably victims are often angry and hope to get
their lost money back so they often fall for these very evil scams. If the fee is
paid, there will be demands for more and more fees, until the victim realizes they
have been conned again. Scammers have also pretended to be victim protection and
anti fraud sites in order to try to run this scam.

More information about money recovery scams and useful links

Joe Wein - introductory info with examples
Scampatrol - use of their name in money recovery scam

Not a scam but please note

We are aware of an organization, Ultrascan.nl which offers a money-tracing service,
for a minimum fee of $2,000 and an "average" fee of $5,000 to $15,000. Please see
their page on charges for 419 transfer tracing. If you are planning to use their
services, we suggest you exercise due diligence, such as asking whether you can
recover the fee if they do not recover your money, and what their success rate is
for recovering funds paid to a 419 scammer via Western Union or whichever transfer
system you used. Our experience is that money paid to a scammer is almost
invariably lost forever.

An example of a money recovery scam email

The poor spelling and grammar and the erratic use of capitals are typical of a 419
email. Also commonplace is the use of a free Yahoo or other free email account
while pretending to be from a government agency. The real Mal Nuhu Ribadu, who is
the head of the real EFCC, uses a secure email address from their domain,
@efccnigeria.org, but the scammer does not, of course.

From: EFCC RIBADU <efcc_commission_ng@yahoo.com>

Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2006 16:49:56 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: EFCC NIGERIA ON YOUR FUND RECOVERY [ EFCC123NG]

Attention;
I am chief Nuhu Ribadu the chairman of Economic and Finacial Crime Commission
in Nigeria, a commission set up by the presidency to sanitise the country of
financial fraud. It was brought to our notice thruogh our investigation that a lot
of finacial crime have going on in this country among some top government and banks
officals.

Some foreign contractors have not been paid their over due contract money and
those that inherited some fund from relatives in this country were refused their
inheritance by these bank officials in the bid to divert these funds into their
private pocket. It was also bruoght to our notice that of you were being extorted
in the bid to release your fund to you.

This is why the presidency set up this commission to recover everthing you have
lost through this fruadulent and dubius poeple who are killing the image of this
country. We here by advise you to make an offical complain to us regarding your
situation so that we can recover your fund and adequately punish the culprits.

You are advice to give us a detailed explanation and make the known to us the
parties involved for a fast recovery of your fund. Get back to us immediately lets
get your fund recovered, becuse the presidency gave us a limited time to recover
all these funds. We are sorry for any inconviniences this must have caused you.
 YOU SEE THE PROBLEM WE ARE FACING SINCE THE INSEPTION OF THIS COMMISSION IS
THAT A LOT OF POEPLE WHO HAVE FALL VICTIM TO THESE FRAUDULENT PEOPLE ARE TOO SHY OR
AFRAID TO REPORT THEIR CASE TO THIS COMMISSION. WE ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU FOR YOUR
BOLD STEP IN ASSISTING US TO RECOVER YOUR FUNN AND AT THE SAME TIME CLEANSE THE BAD
IMAGE CREATED BY THESE FRADULENT PEOPLE TO THIS COUNTRY'
I WANT TO ASSURE YOU THAT YOUR INTEREST IS HIGHLY PROTECTED BY THIS COMMISSION
EVEN IF YOU HAVE BEEN COMPELLED TO DO SOME UNLAWFUL THINGS BY THESE FRAUDULENT
PEOPLE. YOU DONT HAVE TO BE AFRAID BECAUSE THE SUCH PEOPLE ARE PROTECTED BY THIS
COMMISSION, ONCE YOU CAN ASSIST US IN OUR INVESTIGATION TO FLUSH OUT THESE BAD EGGS
IN OUR COUNTRY.

THIS COMMISSION NEED THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION FROM YOU.

1. THE EXACT AMONT THEY HAVE COLLETED FROM YOU

2. THE DATE IF YOU CAN STILL REMEBER NO MATTER HOW LONG AGO

3. THE NAMES OF THE INVOLVED PARTIES IF YOU HAVE THEM

4. THIER TELEPHONE NUMBER

5. THE BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER AND NAME THEY USED COLLECT THIS MONEY FROM YOU

6. DID YOU EXECUTE ANY CONTRACT IN NIGERIA OR DID THEY JUST WANT TO USE YOU TO
CLAIM SOME OTHER PERSONS FUND?

7. DID YOU INHERIT ANY FUND OR DID THEY COMPEL YOU TO ACCEPT THAT YOU HAVE AN
INHERITANCE?

IF YOU YOU HAVE ANY UNCLAIMED FUND IN THIS COUNTRY GIVE US THE DETAIL SO THJAT
WE SEE TO IT THAT YOUR FUND GET TO YOU. IF NOT JUST TELL US THE EXACT AMUONT THEY
HAVE COLLECTED FROM YOU LET TRACK THEM AND GET IT BACK TO YOU.

THIS COMMISSION WANT TO ASSURE YOU THAT YOU HAVE BEEN PARDONED FOR ANY OFFENCE
THESE MEN MUST MEN MUST HAVE COMPELLED YOU TO COMMIT IN THIS COUNTRY ONCE YOU CAN
ASSIST US TO TRACK DOWN THESE EVIL MEN

PLEASE GET BACK TO US WITH ANY OF THE ABOVE INFORMATION OR MORE AT YOUR
DISPOSAL.

NUHU RIBADU
CHAIRMAN EFCC

NB; PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND TO ANY MAIL WITHOUT THIS CODE [ EFCC123NG] THIS IS
OUR SECRET. RESPONDING TO ANY MAIL WITHOUT THIS CODE MIGHT LEAD YOU TO THE WRONG
HAND

Example impersonating the FBI. Note that the scammers do not understand how to
properly format the address for the United States capital:

From: FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Federal Bureau of Investigation
J. Edgar Hoover Building
 935 Pennsylvania Avenue,
NW Washington, D.C. 20535-0001
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

I have received several mails about the Numerous payment you keep on making, I
have tried all possible best to see that you stop contacting them but you keep on
contacting them and making different payment each time they come up with new
stories for you to make payment, if you will only allow me to get hold of this
people and also assist you in receiving your funds, the documents you keep on
receiving each time are all forged and fake.

I have attached here my FBI identity myself, Please do respond back to my mail
and try and much as possible to forward me all mails this Names below have sent to
you and also the accounts which you have made payment to so we would be able to
track them down with the Interpol Service and also EFCC.

Below are the names they use to contact you.

Mr Sanusi Lamido
Mr. Collins Chike Chikeluba

Once you receive this mail contact me with my personal email

(fbidept3@yahoo.com)

AWAIT YOUR REPLY

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY

Dr. Peter Smith

SENIOR OFFICE DEPARTMENT
FBI.WASHINGTON FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION D.C
J. Edgar Hoover Building 935
Pennsylvania Avenue,NW Washington,
D.C.20535-0001, USA