Typical Scams Stories

Card Issuer/Securities Services;
International Banking Department
ATM Regulatory & Compliance Board
Email ( victordjames978@gmail.com )
Tel: +234-901-471-9298  (This phone number is from Nigeria, the country from where most of Interent scams initiated years ago)
Our ref: IMF/T/ATM/COMP/14-CI

Re-Issuance of Your Upgraded ATM Debit Card No; 5416557102001951 &
5490353979870762. (Total Value: US$5,390,000 only. You Can Withdraw
Funds Anywhere)

Attn ATM Card Owner.

The Audit & Debt Reconciliation Commission has undertaken an
independent performance audit with the authority contained in the IMF/World Bank Auditor-General Act 2018.

Following the performance audit for the year ended 31 December 2022, while going through the files, we discovered that a part-payment fund; US$5.39Million, was processed in your favor by MasterCard (ATM Debit Card) in 2022 in the following manner and was not released to you.
For more detailed information concerning this payment, Contact us with your full information via  victordjames978@gmail.com  Or call us
at +234-901-471-9298

After we have received your reply, we will instruct the card issuing Department to re-process and re-load your DEBIT cards, funds will be available on the cards in minutes, which will be dispatched to your designated address.
We will oversee the delivery of the cards to you through our registered and official courier. Get back to us as soon as
possible.

Congratulations.
Best regards.
John Johnson
Reply to: victordjames978@gmail.com

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Address: 1000 Colonial Farm Rd, McLean, VA 22101, USA
Email: officialunit.gov@gmail.com (would the CIA use a Gmail email account? This is beyond preposterous)



Hello Dear, Greetings to you  (no addressee name since they do not know your name. Big sign of a scam)


I am John Ratcliffe The New Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

I will be very grateful if you can bring out your time to read this
message and honor it. I have not contacted you to tell you stories but i
have contacted you to enlighten you about what is going on globally, not
only in Africa as many US citizens believe. Corruption is a general
disease which inflects only the mind of the greedy ones in a society.
This leads many people into different kinds of behaviors. Since day one
of my service, as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and
before the position. I have witnessed a lot of cases and finally a
solution was provided not by my power alone but by the grace wisdom
applied. I was totally disappointed when I came across your case file
and the way it was handled. I went deeply to investigate to know the
reason the said fund is not yet delivered to you after all you have
spent to the both countries fund monetary agencies( AFRICAN GOVERNMENT)
& ( USA GOVERNMENT). And it was a very common reason which is hard for
you to figure out quickly, but it takes grace and experience to
notice. The reason you couldn't find out is because you gave all trust
and believe that as long as you send them the money they will do exactly
as instructed. Before I commence, I want to ask you some questions and
these questions will answer the reason why your fund has not been
delivered to you despite all your effort and funds invested.

MY QUESTIONS ARE;

1) As the sole beneficiary to this said fund, do you have any documents
in your hand? I don't mean scan copies of documents that might have been
sent to you via email?.

2) Did you go in person or send a representative to the fund origin
country to sign those papers on your behalf?

3) The person who might have been representing you over there, has he
one day sent you the hard-copies of the document you have been paying
for through DHL, UPS OR FEDEX Courier company apart from scan copies on
email? This is the major reason why your fund has not been released.

The only thing that gave me joy during my investigation and research is
that your funds are real. It was confirmed to me by the fund origin
government official today. And the West Africa ECOWAS court chairman has
ordered that we send a representative on your behalf who will sign and
clear your fund and get all the Required documents and Paperwork Mailed
successfully to you.

I Mr John Ratcliffe Director of the Central Intelligence Agency vowed to
make sure that I put an end to the cheating. And ensure that your fund
is delivered to your home without any more delay or stress by sending a CIA
SPECIAL AGENT to West Africa. His mission going down there is to get all
the documents and ensure that your fund is released to you with
immediate effect. But we can not make any move without your awareness
and permission. Therefore, we seek permission from you to enable us to
achieve the mission.

Get Back to me Via Email so that i can Provide you with Contact Details
Of Our Trusted Agent Handle Your Case, and A Lawyer Involve in This Case
of Confirmed ( $25 Million Dollars ) Twenty Five Million US Dollars,

Thank you and God bless you. More information on the subject matter will
be detailed after hearing from you.

Best Regards,
Mr John Ratcliffe
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
 

Federal Reserve Bank Of Cleveland
1455 E Harrisburg Pennsylvania
United States
Email: jeromepowel01@outlook.com (since when does the Federal Reserve use Outlook emails)
We hereby officially notifying you about the present arrangement to pay you, your over due Winning Prize/inheritance fund which you could not complete the process of the released of your transfer pin code through the Digitized Payment System. and you have spend a lot of money and a lot time sending money to different people just to make sure you receive your fund and after set and done your received nothing.

We have decided to pay your funds through (ATM VISA Card) This arrangement was initiated/constituted by the World Bank, United Nation and Paris Club, due to fraudulent activities going on within the world.

The World Bank, United Nations and Paris Club introduced this payment arrangement as to enable our Contract ,Winning Prize,inheritance beneficiary to receive their fund without any interference. the ATM VISA Card was contracted and powered by GOLD CARD WORLD WIDE.The ATM VISA CARD is credited with the sum of 25.5 Million united states Dollars , it is already loaded in the Master Card which you can use to access your fund in any ATM Stand/location worldwide and remember that the maximum withdrawal daily limit is Ten Thousand United States Dollars(US $10,000.00)we have concluded delivery arrangement with the below courier services companies and their delivery time is stated below.

DHL=4hrs/$150.00
FedEx Express=7hrs/$250.00
UPS=9hrs/$300.00    (Once a person responds to this email they will send you info to where to send money for the delivery. The courier companies always get paid before delivery not at the time of delivery. The name to pay for the courier is a fake name of the scammers.).

Once it gets to us the package will be delivered to your destination. Kindly Email back to the Email here (jeromepowel01@outlook.com) state in your response to this text and let me know which courier company you would want us to use for the shipment of your ATM VISA Card to you.

Yours sincerely,
Jerome H. Powell

HELLO YOUR ATTENION IS NEEDED,
Arrived from email:  masat19880202@gmail.com (Banks use their own email not Gmail)

This is Mr. Anthony Miller, Managing Director at the Headquarters of Westpac Bank.

I am writing to inform you that your information appears on the list of individuals approved for compensation following the meeting held in regarding issues of scam victims, hosted by CYBERCRIME UNITS AND VICTIMS SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS.

The purpose of this program is to provide compensation to individuals affected by scams, including retirees, persons with disabilities, and those experiencing homelessness. Each eligible family is entitled to $3,000,000 MILLION.

The funds are currently held with me. To proceed with the transfer through our secure online banking system provided to help you claim your compensation, please provide the required information below so we can verify your identity and ensure the funds are sent to the correct recipient.

YOUR FULL NAME, PHONE NUMBERS, HOME ADDRESS, AN ID CARD. (ID card can be used for other scams or identity theft)
SEND DETAILS TO THIS EMAIL [ www.westphac@gmail.com ]
I look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely,
Anthony Miller
CEO WESTPAC BANK.

IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF YOUR FUND $5,300,000.00 USD United States Dollars Only
REF: FILE NO, kvCYhZ640673
Arrived from email: eslfederalcreditunion3305@gmail.com (Any bank will use its own email not via Gmail)

You are welcome to ESL Federal Credit Union® with world wide transaction at its best. We are pleased to be at your service.ESL Federal Credit Union® is Regulated and Stipulated by the Funds transfer Service world-wide, The transfer institutions that REGULATES all Fund transfer activities in the UNITED STATES.
This is to acknowledge the receipt of your mail. We are in receipt of your Verification Form and application has been submitted on your behalf for the issuance of Accreditation letter to back up your ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER (EFT). It is at this note we employ you to contact us via Email very urgent should there be any alteration on your Certificate which will be mailed to you as soon as you meet up with our terms and conditions.
NOTE; You are to appear before us here in New York, within (2) BANK working
to finalize your accreditation modalities with The (IRS) Internal Revenue Service. While coming, you are to come with Two Valid Identities that is your Current Passport and your driving license, your funds information as depicted on your Verification Form. Authentication and filling fee of $100 with this you will have to make an endorsement with the Internal Revenue Service accompanied by one of our solicitor. All these must be put in order before the Bank can honor your certificate which you are coming to endorse.
For your own perusal our address is outlined below:
225 Chestnut Street Rochester, NY 14604. United States
In-case you can not travel down here due to time factor you are required to make a payment charge of $150 being payment for legal consent and Affidavit to represent you in this endorsement exercise in addition to the Authentication and filling fee of $100 making a total of $250, PAYMENT SHOULD BE SEND DIRECTLY TO OUR LAWYER WHO WILL REPRESENT YOU IN THIS ENDORSEMENT EXERCISE, AND SHE CAN ACCEPT PAYMENT THROUGH THIS LIS
Please rest assured that once we hear back from you with any of your best choice on how to make the payment we shall furnish you with the information on how and where to remit the $250 payment to our lawyer . IT IS IMPORTANT YOU EMAIL US AS SOON AS YOU RECEIVE THIS MAIL TO INSTRUCT US OF YOUR TRAVEL ARRANGEMENT AS YOU HAVE JUST 7 DAYS TO MEET UP WITH THIS ENDORSEMENT EXERCISE.
Thank you for using ESL Federal Credit Union®, Our Priority is your satisfaction and your favorable and timely response will be very much appreciated, I await your prompt response, thanks and remain blessed
 

GOOD NEWS FROM ROYAL BANK
Arrived from email: berit@q-aticasia.co.th (email is based on an email service where origin of emailks can't be traced. Banks use their own email)
ROYAL BANK

This is David McKay the CEO of Royal Bank We hereby officially notifying you about the present arrangement to pay you, your overdue Winning Prize/inheritance fund which you could not complete the process of the released of your transfer pin code through the Digitized Payment System. and you have spend a lot of money and a lot time sending money to different people just to make sure you receive your fund and after set and done your received nothing.

We have decided to pay your funds through (ATM VISA Card) this arrangement was initiated/constituted by the World Bank, United Nation and Paris Club The World Bank, United Nations and Paris Club introduced this payment arrangement as to enable our Contract ,Winning Prize, inheritance beneficiary to receive their fund without any interference. the ATM VISA Card was contracted and powered by GOLD BANK WORLD WIDE. The ATM VISA CARD is credited with the sum of 1.5 Million unite states dollars.

it is already loaded in the Master Card which you can use to access your fund in any ATM Stand/location worldwide and remember that the maximum withdrawal daily limit is Ten Thousand United States Dollars(US $10,000.00)we have concluded delivery arrangement with the below courier services companies and their delivery time is stated below.

DHL=4hrs/$300.00

FedEx Express=7hrs/200.00

UPS=9hrs/$100.00

Reconfirm me your current
Delivery Address
Telephone Number

Once it gets to us the package will be delivered to your destination. Kindly state in your response to this email and let me know which courier company you would want us to use for the shipment of your parcel to you.

DAVID MCKAY
Best Regards

World Global Alliance Bank
Arriv3d from email: hcfmanager195@gmail.com (Banks use their own email no Gmail)
 
Dear beneficiary
This is Mr.  David Phillip Williams, the managing Director of Financial Help Community.
The sum of US$10,700,000.00 was deposited in our bank and we have been instructed to pay directly via personal on-line bank

The Management has resolved to open Personal On-line Banking Account for you with our bank and then give you the on-line access which will enable you to check and make electronics wire transfer out to any part of the world of your choice.
Get back with us for your fund immediate release so that you will be able to gain full acess to your fund today.
the more information you provide the quicker we will process your fund!
Below are the requirments.

Full Name:……………
Full Address:…………
Occupation..........
Email...........
Direct Telephone Number:……. …
For Immediate Response Please contact this Email: financialhelpc@gmail.com
Your Sincerely,
Mr.  David Phillip Williams.

From the royal Bank of Canada (the spelling mistake is in the original text. Banks do not make such mistakle n their names)
Arrived from email: 206840319044@growmore.ac.in  (Banks use their own email not public services)
 
--
Greetings from the Royal bank of Canada 🇨🇦 . I have a vital information which needs to be attended immediately. Did you authorized anyone to pick up your retirement fund from our branch in Broadway New York? One Mr Eric wheeler came to our office yesterday in-respect of your $11.5 million dollars which has been credited with us for the past 2 months now by the Federal Government to be transferred into your account. He said that you authorized him to pick up the fund.
‎
‎This fund has been in our custody for the past two months now and we have been waiting for you to contact us but we didn't know what is hindering you from reaching us since. So we decided to write to you to make sure that you are fine and aware of the retirement fund of $11.5 million dollars in our branch office in Broadway NY.
‎
‎We want you to get back to us with the following details:
‎
‎Full name
‎Next of kin
‎PRIVATE Email address
‎ID Card‎
PHONE NUMBER

‎Thank you and have a lovely day.
‎Regards,
‎
‎Mr. Donald Sanya
‎Assistant Manager.

From: Rita Sola
Sent: Wednesday, September 2, 2026 12:11 PM
Arrived from email: ritasola57@gmail.com (Bank do not use Gmail for their services)
 
It was a pleasure to meet you and share this deal with you. First, I want to assure you that this is not a joke. I would be happy to give you all my details, hoping that you will not reveal them in any way. My name is Rita Sola Cook and I work for Bank of America (USA) PLC.
 
Please know that you do not have to be a relative to establish a close relationship. I only need your sincere cooperation as I have been unable to locate my client's next of kin since his death for years. The bank has not identified this account and no one has applied to claim it.
 
This transaction requires your utmost trust and commitment as you will receive the money as a next of kin/heirs and will hold it until I visit you in your country to collect my share. Regarding your participation, I believe that my share is acceptable to you and this is a fair transaction. I want you to understand that this transaction is risk-free. It is completely safe as long as you follow my instructions and keep everything that happens between us confidential.
 
I will only need to enter your details into my bank's database as a next of kin/heirs of the late Mr. Gentian and then submit the application to Bank of America for the transfer. I have been conducting feasibility studies for some time, So you have nothing to worry about. The transaction is completely risk-free. I will make sure that you receive all the necessary account details from the bank. This agreement will allow me to carry out the transfer with you smoothly. The first step in the transaction is to register your name in our bank’s database as a relative on the account so that all the information appears correctly. I would also like to inform you that our bank can transfer money to any bank in your country, provided that you have entered all the account details correctly.
 
To start the transaction, please send me the following information.
 
*Full name:
*Date of birth:
*Copy of passport or ID card
*Current address:
*Phone number:
*Profession:
 
After receiving the above information, completing my internal procedures and updating our bank’s database, I hereby inform you of the next step: I will prepare a request letter to send to our bank requesting to transfer the amount to your account, since you are a relative/heir of the deceased’s account. Best regards,
 
Rita Sula Cook
 
My details:
Full name: Ms. Rita Sula Cook
Profession: Banker