Nigeria - 419 Coalition 2005 News on Nigerian Scam / 419 
Operations

31 DEC 2005
From the Satrurday Punch, a Nigerian newspaper:

EFCC prosecutes 78 over multiple fraud

No fewer than 78 suspects are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes 
Commission for their alleged involvement in various economic crimes, including two 
separate scams valued at N58 million and $15 million respectively. 

The suspects, according to Saturday Punch’s investigations, were allegedly linked to 
felonies such as stealing, obtaining money under false pretences and conspiracy. 
 
The suspects are among hundreds being investigated over fraudulent acts and are 
facing charges at courts in Lagos, Kaduna and Benin. 

A senior official of the commission said that 51 of the suspects were facing their charges 
in Lagos, 18 in Kaduna, and the rest in Benin, adding that the sums had been recovered 
from them. 

Our correspondent also learnt that two of the suspects had been convicted but had 
gone on appeal. Another EFCC official told our correspondent that the agency had 
adopted fast-track prosecution of suspects, to avoid complaints over delayed trial. 

Commenting on the matter, EFCC’s Head of Media, Mr. Osita Nwaja, said the agency 
would follow due process in the prosecution of the cases, adding that the suspects 
would be given the chance to "defend themselves while we produce our own evidence."
************************************************************** 

25 DEC 2005
From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Woman loses $9,200 in Nigerian e-mail scam  

by Ian Katz

For Gerri Tennenbaum, it was a "vulnerable moment" when she trusted someone she 
thought of as a friend. Now, the victim of an elaborate counterfeiting scheme, she might 
be out $9,200, her rental apartment and any hope of getting Hanukkah gifts for her two 
children.

A divorced schoolteacher struggling to raise her 9- and 12-year-old boys -- both of 
whom are mildly autistic -- Tennenbaum was feeling frazzled in early November by eight 
days without electricity after Hurricane Wilma.

She had been chatting online several nights a week for two months with a man who 
called himself Eddie Smith, a U.S. citizen working as a geologist and computer 
engineer in Nigeria. They met through a dating site and communicated via Yahoo's 
instant messenger service about work, life and the possibility of eventually meeting in 
person.

On Nov. 2, near the end of a long chat, Smith asked Tennenbaum what seemed to her a 
simple favor: If he sent some travelers checks and money orders that he couldn't cash 
in Nigeria, could she deposit them into her bank account and send him the cash through 
Western Union? She obliged, figuring MasterCard travelers checks and U.S. Postal 
Service money orders must be safe.

What she didn't know is that Smith, which is probably not his real name, was cleverly 
manipulating her for his gain.

It was an example of an increasingly common scheme in which Nigerian fraudsters 
befriend people in dating sites and chat rooms, and persuade them to send cash in 
exchange for money orders or travelers checks that turn out to be fake. When the victims 
learn that the checks are phony, it's too late, and thousands of dollars have already 
been sent to the "friend."

Tennenbaum's bank, Citibank, told her that the $9,200 in checks and money orders she 
exchanged there were counterfeit and that she is responsible for repaying the bank.

"I have nothing," said Tennenbaum, 44, who teaches second grade. "I'm a smart 
person, but I had a vulnerable moment and got suckered. I thought I was doing 
somebody a favor."

Tennenbaum was unable to pay the $930 monthly rent on her apartment on time and 
received a note from the manager that she could be evicted. "Every time I come home, I 
peek around the corner to see if there is a notice on my door," she said.

Through tears, she added: "I feel like I didn't do my job as a parent because I got 
sucked in."

To recoup its losses, Citibank took a direct-deposit paycheck and other money in her 
account totaling $1,788, she said.

Though she admits she shouldn't have been so trusting, Tennenbaum also blames the 
bank for not recognizing that the money orders and travelers checks she cashed were 
fakes. "I'm holding the bag for something the bank should have caught," she said.

Eight days passed before she could see from her account that the checks were not 
valid, she said.

In an e-mail, Citibank spokesman Mark Rodgers wrote: "It is unfortunate that Ms. 
Tennenbaum was defrauded. However, customers are liable for the soundness of 
checks and other instruments that they deposit." If a check is counterfeit, "it is the 
customer, not the bank, who is responsible," he said.

Any offer from Nigeria should raise a red flag, said Allen Lowe, an expert on Nigerian 
fraud and assistant to the special agent in charge at the U.S. Secret Service Miami field 
office. "We don't consider all Nigerians to be bad or crooks," but the Internet is teeming 
with Nigerian fraudsters, he said.

Typically, they send an unsolicited e-mail promising to pay the recipient millions of 
dollars in exchange for parking a larger amount of money in a U.S. bank account. In 
these so-called advance-fee scams, the victim is told to pay hundreds or thousands of 
dollars before getting the big payout.

But in Tennenbaum's case, greed was not a factor. In fact, Smith worked for two months 
to gain Tennenbaum's trust before typing: "can u help me cash money orders baby."

Catching foreign fraudsters overseas is extremely difficult, in part because they never 
give their real names, Lowe said.

Cybercrime experts like Lowe say victims are often intelligent and well-educated. That's 
little consolation to Tennenbaum, who has Florida certification in elementary, early and 
primary education, and in English as a second language.

"I'm not sleeping at all," she said. "I am constantly stressed."
*********************************************

3 DEC 2005
From The Punch ("The Saturday Punch"), a Nigerian
newspaper:

Four foreigners lose $ 18, 800 to ‘EFCC chairman’ 

Sesan Olufowobi 

A man, who allegedly duped four persons of $18,800 by parading 
himself as the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes 
Commission, has been arrested by operatives of the agency. 
 
Saturday Punch gathered that the 30-year-old man identified as Anslem 
Nnabuugha Afam allegedly created a website with EFCC’s logo as well 
as the name and pictures of the commission’s Chairman, Mr. Nuhu 
Ribadu. 

Findings by our correspondent revealed that Afam posted a "To whom 
it may concern letter" on his site, urging foreign contractors owed by 
Nigeria to contact him on a phone number listed on the site to discuss 
how they would be paid. He also stated that they would be required to 
obtain an EFCC affidavit of claims certificate from the "Lagos State High 
Court Commission."

To process the claims and obtain the affidavit of claims, however, the 
contractors were required to pay $4, 700 each. It was learnt that at least 
four persons fell victim of the scam before he was caught. 

An EFCC official told our correspondent that the commission stumbled 
on the site and succeeded in tracking him down. 

"He had some of his education abroad and I think this gave him some 
advantage in knowing how to trick foreigners, especially in the United 
States," the official said. 

Afam also told interrogators that he had defrauded only four persons so 
far, adding that he had not been in the business for long. 

Saturday Punch also gathered that the commission was still 
investigating his claims to ascertain whether there were more victims, 
adding that officials of a Nigerian bank, which the suspect used to 
transfer money, were also being questioned. 

Head of EFCC’s Lagos Office and Director of Operations, Alhaji Ibrahim 
Lamorde, confirmed the arrest and stated that the matter was being 
investigated. 
************************************

30 NOV 2005
There were a couple of articles on 419 Dutch newspaper
Volksrant recently, here is a short one translated into English
for us by Ultrascan:

Amsterdam Centre of Nigerian Fraud
By our reporter Ferry Haan

AMSTERDAM - Amsterdam is the European Centre for Nigerian gangs 
who are scamming hundreds of foreigners out of tens of millions Euros. 
To counter act these actions the Amsterdam police reports that they are 
setting up a central point where victims can report the crimes that were 
committed against them.

Rene van der Wouw, detective for the Amsterdam police states that the
central point will be a great progress in the fight against these criminals. 
He acknowledges that the Amsterdam police will not act on every report 
they get about these scams. "It is costing us too much capacity,"according 
to Van der Wouw.

The police is trying to tackle these gangs via their internet providers,
but those providers have to cooperate in order to get those guys. The
Nigerian gangs are sending thousands of e-mails a day from Amsterdam, in
which they are trying to contact potential victims. Often they are lured
to Amsterdam with promises of loads of gold (and/or money), where they are
then scammed out of their money.

When Dutch people are being scammed, it often happens from Madrid, 
another European centre where these gangs operate.

At least once a year the police tries to get several scammers caught,
according to Van der Wouw. With this action the police is trying to
prevent that ‘Amsterdam becomes a free haven’. (for scammers)

Two years ago, 53 Nigerians were caught in Amsterdam. Only one person 
was convicted, the rest was free to go ‘home’ (and continue their actions).

American fraud specialist Brian Wizard, is warning that the worldwide
attention for Nigerians is declining.  "In the US there used to be 350 
detectives working in the anti-fraud field, now the fight against terrorism 
is more important," he said.
**********************

28 NOV 2005
From The Punch, a Nigerian newspaper:

Bill wants banks shut for money laundering, 419

Ibanga Isine, Abuja 

If a bill seeking the repeal of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 
sails through in the National Assembly, banks and any other financial institutions found 
guilty of aiding money laundering and advance fee fraud (419) would be wound up. 

 Known as the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud -related Offences bill 2005, it also 
seeks a 20-year jail term, without an option of fine, for anyone convicted of 419. 

It was gathered that the bill, a copy of which was obtained on Sunday by our 
correspondent, was sent to the National Assembly shortly after the Bayelsa State 
Governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, was arrested in London over charges of 
money laundering. 

Section 10 of the proposed law reads, "Where an offence under this bill which has been 
committed by a body corporate is proved to have been committed on the instigation or 
with the connivance of or attributable to any neglect on the part of a director, manager, 
secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate or any person purporting to act in 
any such capacity, he, as well as the body corporate, where practicable, shall be 
deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be prosecuted and punished 
accordingly." 

"Where a body corporate is convicted of an offence under this bill, the court may order 
that the body corporate shall thereupon and without any further assurance, but for such 
order, be wound up and all its assets and properties forfeited to the Federal 
Government." 

The bill also wants the courts to be empowered to, in addition to prescribed penalties, 
order convicted persons to make restitution to victims of fraud through the payment of 
amount equivalent to the loss they sustained. 

Where the transaction involves a property, the bill provides that a property of equal 
value be retuned to the victim or a person designated by him. 

The possession of pecuniary resources or property for which a fraudster could not 
account for and which is disproportionate to his known income could be used to 
corroborate the testimony of a witness during trial under the proposed law. 

Section 7, sub-section 2 (b) of the bill prescribes a 10-year term for persons involved in 
laundering of funds. 

Persons involved in unlawful transportation of monetary instrument or funds from the 
country or outside it, risk 10-year imprisonment or a fine of N500,000 or twice the value of 
the amount involved or both. 

Also under the bill, a person or persons who with an intent to defraud, produces from a 
piece of paper or from any other material, any currency note by washing, dipping and 
treating the paper with a chemical substance would be liable to more than 15 years 
imprisonment on conviction. 

Individuals or institutions involved in the provision of telecommunications or Internet 
services are expected to register such businesses with the EFCC and maintain a 
register of all fixed-line customers, which may be inspected from time-to-time. 

The bill also makes it compulsory for persons involved in electronic communication 
businesses or Internet services to obtain the full names, residential or corporate 
addresses of their customers. 

They must give such information to the EFCC on demand. 
*********************************************

23 NOV 2005
From the Associated Press:

NIGERIA: Financial crimes agency returns millions to Brazilian bank

ABUJA, 23 Nov 2005 (IRIN) - Nigeria’s financial crimes agency has returned US $17 
million to a Brazilian bank - the first installment of $242 million siphoned by scammerls said.

The swin - ch led to the bank’s collapse - marks one of the biggest cases of 419 
fraud that government officials have cracked. 

Nigeria has become notorious for fraudsters who pitch bogus schemes to entice people 
to part with large sums of money in expectation of higher returns. The scams are known 
as 419 deals, named for the section of the country’s legal code that forbids such crimes.

On Monday, the head of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), 
Nuhu Ribadu, made the refund of US $17 million to William Richey, a lawyer 
representing the defunct Banco Noroeste of Sao Paolo, Brazil. 

"By making this restitution to the victim of the scam we also want to send a strong, 
unequivocal message that we will no longer harbour such fraudulently acquired funds 
no matter where the victim is," Ribadu said in the statement. 

Ribadu said more money recovered from three Nigerians convicted of the scam would 
eventually be returned to the bank.

Emmanuel Nwude and Nzeribe Okoli were convicted on Friday by a high court in Lagos 
for their role in the scam. Nwude got a 35-year jail term while Okoli was sentenced to 12 
years. They are also to forfeit assets worth more than US $121 million.

A third Nigerian, housewife Amaka Anajemba, was convicted in July and jailed for two 
and a half years. Anajemba was also ordered by the court to give up cash and assets 
of over $48 million, including houses in Nigeria, the United States and Switzerland.

Convictions in the Brazilian bank case represent the government’s most significant 
victory against fraud thus far. 

Nigerian security agencies have redoubled efforts to combat such scams under 
President Olusegun Obasanjo, who has long pledged to tackle the rampant fraud that 
flourished in the country’s long period of corrupt military rule. 

Prosecutors alleged that those convicted were part of a fraud ring, including 
Anajemba’s late husband, that tricked a top official of the Brazilian bank into transferring 
funds between 1996 and 2001 into various bank accounts around the world on the 
promise he would earn a $13.4 million kickback from a fictitious airport contract.

419 Coaltion Comment:  Kudos to the EFCC, it is good to see that 
funds are being repatriated in this case.  $17 million on the way back, 
which is in itself Very significant, of course, leaving $225 million for 
future repatriation.
*******************************************************

21 NOV 2005
From Vanguard, a Nigerian newspaper:

$242m scam: Nwude strikes  deal, surrenders to EFCC 
By  Ise-Oluwa Ige 

ABUJA  Four days before an Ikeja high court convicted and sentenced Emmanuel 
Nwude to 25 years imprisonment for participating in defrauding a Brazilian, Mr Nelson 
Sakaguchi, a whopping sum of US$ 242million between 1995 and 1998, he had 
voluntarily surrendered majority of his choice assets, both in Nigeria and abroad, for 
total and final settlement of the case.

Vanguard learnt at the weekend that Nwude, last Tuesday, in Lagos, personally signed 
a document titled "Settlement Agreement," which ceded to Sakaguchi, all his legal and 
equitable rights to the choice assets.

A copy of the agreement made available to Vanguard indicated that the trial judge, 
Justice Olubunmi Oyewole substantially premised his judgment on the substance of the 
‘settlement agreement’ on forfeiture of the choice assets.

The voluntarily surrendered assets include real estates, a number of expensive  cars 
and large public quoted shares in a number of blue chip companies.  

He signed away his possessions of the assets on November 15,  in Lagos when it 
dawned on him that he had a very bad case in court and after striking a deal with the 
EFCC on the settlement of the case.

While serving his jail term in Lagos prison, he is expected to deliver to Sakaguchi, all 
title documents to all the assets voluntarily surrendered by him within a maximum of 15 
days.

The ultimatum for the delivery of the titled documents expires November 29, this year, 
otherwise the settlement agreement already signed by him would be deemed void.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission which prosecuted him in court was the 
engineer of the settlement agreement. 

According to the agreement, the commission is also expected, in principle, to vet and 
okay the agreement especially its compliance within 30 days from the date both parties
(Nwude and Sakaguchi) or their nominees, appended their signatures on the 
agreement.

By  implication, EFCC is expected to okay the agreement on the surrender of Nwude’s 
assets before December 14, this year.

The surrendered assets are to be disposed off with the proceeds from the sales 
exclusively used to settle a judgment debt entered against Nwude and his accomplices 
at a Superior Court of the State of California more than two years ago over the US
$242million scam, the biggest single fraud ever in the world.

In the final judgment off-shore, Chief  Emmanuel Nwude Odinigwe was ordered to pay 
the plaintiffs in the suit including Sakaguchi, Leo Wallace Conchranc and Leo Wallace 
Conchranc (jnr) a whopping sum of US$134,277,500.00.

The court also ordered him to pay interest on the principal judgment sum at the rate 
of  7% per annum “from the various dates of conversion until November 30, 2004, 
amounting to US$74,903,563.00.

In all, Chief Nwude and his accomplices were expected to pay    US $209,181,063.00 
amounting to N29, 076,167,757.00k (N29billion).  Part of the proceeds made from the 
sale of his assets is also expected to be used to pay the legal fees incurred in a 
separate action commenced against him (Nwude) and his accomplices before the 
English high court of justice, Chancery division over the same US$242million scam.

Probably because Nwude was not operating as a one-man-squad, Sakaguchi is 
demanding from him a total sum of US$120,000,000.00 as final and total settlement 
of the case made against him.
***********************************************

19 NOV 2005
From Vanguard, a Nigerian newspaper:

$242m scam: Nwude, Okoli jailed 37 years 
By Wahab Abdulah, Gabriel Onyeaku & Faith Ifediora

Two of the three suspects charged for defrauding a Brazilian Bank of 242 million dollars 
said to be the biggest scam in history, Chiefs Emmanuel Nwude and Nzeribe  Okoli 
were yesterday sentenced to a combined prison term of 37 years.

They are also to forfeit 110 million dollars to the Brazilian bank and pay 11.5 million 
dollars to the Federal Government. Chief Nwude bagged 25 years while Okoli  will 
spend the next 12 years behind bars. The third accused person, Mrs Amaka Anajemba 
had avoided trial by pleading guilty to the amended charges and was  immediately 
sentenced to 30 years imprisonment in July this year.

The duo were found guilty on all the 11 offences they were charged with. The terms are 
to run concurrently. The convicts changed their plea to guilty after initially  pleading not 
guilty. They impressed the trial judge who commended them in his judgement.

Chief Nwude, Mrs Amaka Anajemba and Chief Okoli alongside their four companies 
were arraigned before an Abuja High Court in 2004 for swindling a Brazilian  bank, 
Banko Noroeste S.A. of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Later, the Abuja High Court rejected the case on the ground that it had no jurisdiction 
before it was transferred to Lagos High Court presided by Justice Joseph  Oyewole. 
The matter dragged for over one year with various applications filed by the accused 
persons to frustrate the trial.

Delivering  judgement, Justice Oyewole convicted them and their companies. They are 
also to forfeit their  property, including houses and vehicles. Justice Oyewole in  his 
judgement held: "I have duly considered the submissions of counsel and I must 
commend the candour, wit and erudition displayed. This is in line with the best  tradition 
at the bar. In imposing sentence on the accused persons, the court has noted the fact 
that in changing their pleas, valuable time and resources are being saved  and is 
evidence of remorse and common sense, a point appreciated by the prosecution as 
reflected in the present amended charges."

"A balance must however be arrived at by the court in ensuring that not only is the 
financial element which induces and motivates this class of offences is taken care of,  
but also impose sanctions that would signpost to society that crime does not pay and 
that certain conducts are simply not acceptable."

It is indeed sad that the activities of the accused persons not only led to the collapse of 
a bank in a foreign country but also brought miseries to many innocent  people."

He subsequently read his sentences attached to each charge.

The principal victim of the fraud, Mr. Nelson Sakagushi, a director of the Brazilian bank 
who was in Nigeria in an attempt to give evidence in the case expressed  satisfaction 
with the way the case was concluded by the court. He said "I never doubted the integrity 
of the court in Nigeria and I am happy that justice was done in  the case."

Also, counsel in the case, including that of the defence  Mr Ricky Tarfa, (SAN),  hailed 
the court sentence, stating that "it’s a well written judgement."

In his allocutos to the court, Tarfa, said his client was a first offender , who has no criminal 
records and that he was sick while having children and aged parents. He  urged the 
court to temper justice with mercies in its sentence.

Here is the URL of this article for as long as it is good:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/nationalx/nr119112005.html

**The Nigerian newspaper The Guardian, also covered this story:

Court jails convicts 37 years in biggest fraud 
By Mustapha Ogunsakin

THE much-celebrated $242 million fraud trial against a Brazilian Bank, perpetrated by 
some Nigerians, came to an end yesterday as a Lagos High Court sentenced the two 
accused persons (now convicts) to a total of 37 years' imprisonment.
 
Besides, the convicts, Chief Emmanuel Nwude and Chief Nzeribe Okolo are to forfeit a 
total of $121.5 million, including all their known property, both home and abroad, to the 
victims of the fraud (the Bank) and the Federal Government of Nigeria.

It was indeed a trial full of intrigues, which spanned one and a half years. For one full 
year, the convicts stalled the trials; changed counsel for about five times; a senior 
advocate of Nigeria walked out of court with a bomb scare that threw the whole of the 
high court complex, Ikeja into pandemonium on September 13, 2005.

On July 16, 2005 the third accused person, Mrs Martina Amaka Anajemba pleaded 
guilty to the charges against her. She forfeited N32 billion both in cash and assets, and 
was sentenced to two and a half years of imprisonment.

The convicts created a lot of unpleasant dramas and intrigues that were maturedly 
handled by the trial judge, Justice Joseph Olubunmi Oyewole.

The convicts however started getting jittery when on September 13, an employee of 
United Bank of Africa (UBA) Mr. Oludayo Ogunleye was expected to give evidence in 
court about their transaction with the bank.

During the bomb scare in the court premises, the witness was abducted and the exhibits 
he was to tender in court were tampered with. 

The bomb scare is currently being investigated by a tribunal of inquiry set up by Lagos 
State Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu with Justice Adebola Adefope-Okojie as the 
tribunal chairman. The police authorities had also conducted a similar investigation.

By September 25, an Indian businessman, Mr. Naresh Asnani, standing as a witness, 
told the court how he assisted Nwude to launder $127 million through various banks in 
Nigeria and abroad.

The last straw that broke the will of the accused however, was the appearance in court 
of the former Managing Director of Banco Noroaste Sa, (the bank that was duped), Mr. 
Nelson Sakaguchi. They could not believe, in their wildest imagination, that the 
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) would be able to bring Sakaguchi 
to Nigeria.

Subsequently, a plea bargain situation was reached with the prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi 
Jacobs wherein they agreed to plead guilty for a light sentence in addition to forfeit all 
their known assets.

In delivering his judgement yesterday, Justice Oyewole said: "A balance must be 
arrived at by the court in ensuring that not only is the financial element, which induces 
and motivates this class of offences taking care of but also imposes sanctions that 
would sign post to society that crime does not pay and that certain conduct is simply not 
acceptable."

He continued: "It is sad that the activities of the accused persons not only led to the 
collapse of a bank in a foreign country but also brought miseries to many innocent 
people."

Justice Oyewole thereafter sentenced the first accused (Nwude) to a total of 25 years 
imprisonment on a five-count charge.

Nwude is also to forfeit $110 million to the affected bank, forfeit all his assets - property, 
cars, shares and money in bank accounts to the victims. He and his companies are 
also to forfeit $11.5 million to the Federal Government after which they will wound up.

Okolo was also sentenced to a 12-year imprisonment in addition to forfeiture of all his 
property.

**The Nigerian newpaper ThisDay also covered this story:

$242m Scam: Nwude pleads guilty, bags 25 yrs jail term
By Abimbola Akosile, 

With the clear words, "I am guilty," uttered by Chief Emmanuel Nwude and his 
accomplice, Mr. Nzeribe Edeh Okoli, trial ended yesterday and judgment was passed 
by an Ikeja High Court judge, Justice Olubunmi Oyewole in a $242 million advance fee 
fraud (a.k.a. 419) case involving fraudulently obtained from a Brazilian banker, Mr. 
Nelson Sakaguchi over a three-year period, from April 2, 1995 to January 20, 1998. 

Nwude, (a.k.a Paul Ogwuma Odinigwe) 1st accused person, Okoli (3rd accused), Emrus 
(Nig.) Ltd., Ocean Marketing Co. (Nig.) Ltd. and African Shelter Bureau (Nig.) Ltd. (5th-7th 
accused), pleaded guilty to an amended 12-count charge filed yesterday by Economic 
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a plea-bargain move that saw the accused 
persons receiving 25 years and 12 years jail terms respectively and varying fines for the 
companies. The sentences are, however, to run concurrently from day of incarceration. 

The 1st accused, who was first arrested June 4, 2003, was ordered to refund $110 million 
to Banco Noroeste, and forfeit 14 properties (located in Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Anambra, 
Rivers, and England), six choice cars and over 100 million shares in banks and various 
companies in Nigeria. Okoli (arrested on January 20, 2004) is to forgo an uncompleted 
filling station, residential complex and all landed properties located at 6, Ocean Avenue, 
Nkpokiti, Enugu State; while the three companies (Emrus, Ocean Marketing, and African 
Shelter Bureau) are to be winded up after refunding $11.5 million to the Federal 
Government. 

The judgment is coming 15 months after accused persons were first arraigned in a de 
novo trial before Justice Oyewole on July 23, 2004, following an Abuja High Court's 
dismissal of the previous 86 count charge brought against them for lack of jurisdiction 
(offences were committed within Lagos jurisdiction). Eminent lawyers like Chiefs Alex 
Izinyon (SAN), G.O.K. Ajayi (SAN) and Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) had appeared earlier 
and brought several applications on behalf of Nwude. Late Chief Rotimi Williams (SAN) 
(who briefly represented Amaka Anajemba), and Chief Chris Uche, who facilitated a 
plea, bargain for her. 

When the matter came up yesterday morning, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, lead prosecution 
counsel, informed court of an amendment in the previous 91-count charge filed against 
the accused persons. There was no objection to the new 12-count charge from Mr. 
Rickey Tarfa (SAN) lead defence counsel to Nwude and Mr. Adeshina Ogunlana, 
Okoli's counsel; after which the judge adjourned briefly to his chambers with all counsel 
to deliberate on the new dimension. 

At 10.50am, when hearing resumed, Jacobs applied that the new charge be read to the 
accused persons, with again no objection from defence counsel. In a reading which 
spanned 25 minutes (11.15am), Nwude, who sported an ash coloured two-piece kaftan, 
pleaded guilty to every charge read to him by the court registrar, Mrs. Rosulu; a move 
which was copied by Okoli (who wore a navy-blue suit on a white shirt). Both accused 
also pleaded guilty on behalf of their companies when the charge was read to 5th - 7th 
accused. 

Jacobs thereafter sought to present enough evidence before the court to convict 
accused persons, tracing the history of the fraud from March 20, 1995, when Sakaguchi 
(who was in court all through yesterday's proceedings) was contacted by letter for a 
contract, using Okoli's phone line to send a fax; after which regular contact was made by 
Nwude and late Christian Anajemba to obtain various sums of money from the victim on 
false pretence, allegedly to settle tax on a Federal Government contract award for 
construction of Abuja International Airport. 

Justice Oyewole, who convicted the accused persons after listening to Jacob's 
submissions, listened to the allocutus from Tarfa and Ogunlana (defence counsel) 
before rising for one hour, ten minutes to deliver his judgment and sentence on the 
convicts. Though he was urged to temper justice with mercy, Oyewole insisted that a 
balance must be struck between the plea for mercy and need for a deterrent for would-
be scammers. The judge thereafter sentenced Nwude to 5 years imprisonment for each 
of the five counts against him (counts 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5), while Okoli was sentenced to 4 years 
for each of the three counts preferred against him (counts 1, 6, & 7), which are to run 
concurrently. 

Trial began October 5, 2004 in the matter, where six prosecution witnesses out of 28 
(both local and foreign) have testified so far in court, in a de novo (fresh) case in which 
trial judge favours accelerated hearing. However, both Amaka Anajemba (Mrs.) and 
Fynbaz (Nig.) Limited (2nd & 4th accused respectively), initially charged alongside other 
suspects, pleaded guilty to a fresh 4-count charge on July 15, and were subsequently 
sentenced to prison terms and fines, with their names deleted from an amended 
information filed by the prosecutor, EFCC. 

Anajemba was sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment, and the said sentence 
to commence from January 30, 2004, when she was first remanded in prison custody. In 
addition to her prison sentence Justice Oyewole also ordered that numerous valued 
assets of 2nd accused person, both local and foreign, which value exceeded N3 billion 
and $25 million respectively, be forfeited to the victims of the said fraud named in the 
charge, as restitution. 

First arraigned in Abuja on February 4, 2004, accused persons, in an 86-count-charge, 
were alleged to have defrauded Sakaguchi of $242 million from April 2, 1995 to January 
20, 1998 at Opebi, Ikeja, Lagos State, contrary to Sections 1(1)(a) and (3) of the Advance 
Fee Fraud Act of 1995 as amended by Act 62 of 1998. Amount obtained was to 
represent payment due to the Federal Government of Nigeria on the alleged contract 
No. FMA/132/ 019/82 for construction of Abuja International Airport, Nigeria. Penalties for 
each of the counts range between 5 - 10 years. 

Sakaguchi, star prosecution witness in the case, who first appeared in court on 
Tuesday, November 15, yesterday hailed the court judgment on the grounds that it has 
vindicated him after all the years of derision and public odium heaped on him by the 
bank's shareholders and prosecutors.

 ** 419 Coalition extends our thanks to the EFCC for all their
hard work in the long haul of bringing these high level 419ers
to Justice.  We trust that the seized monies and assets of the
419ers will be distributed to their victim(s) forthwith.
*************************************

16 NOV 2005
From ThisDay, a Nigerian newspaper:

$242m Scam: Sakaguchi, duped Brazilian, appears in court
By Abimbola Akosile

Trial in a $242million advance fee fraud a.k.a. 419 scam, took a new dimension in an 
Ikeja High Court presided over by Justice Olubunmi Oyewole yesterday, when 
prosecution's principal witness, Mr. Nelson Sakaguchi, a Brazilian and director in Banco 
Noereste Brazil, appeared in readiness to give evidence in the year-old trial. However, 
barring any last-minute change, he will do so on Friday, November 18, next adjourned 
date. 

Sakaguchi, a white, chubby, brown-haired man who sported a black suit on white shirt, 
was brought to court in a five-vehicle convoy of bullet-proof jeeps by officials of 
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and heavily-armed mobile 
policemen in a tight security cordon, which surrounded the Ikeja courtroom while 
yesterday's proceedings were going on. 

The star witness was allegedly duped of $24.2 million by three Nigerians including Chief 
Emmanuel Nwude (a.k.a Paul Ogwuma Odinigwe) 1st accused, Mr. Nzeribe Edeh Okoli 
(3rd accused), Emrus (Nig.) Ltd., Ocean Marketing Co. (Nig.) Ltd. and African Shelter 
Bureau (Nig.) Ltd. (5th-7th accused) between 1995 and 1998 through a complicated wire 
transfer system involving both local and foreign banks and some foreigners. 

However, both Amaka Anajemba (Mrs.) and Fynbaz (Nig.) Limited (2nd & 4th accused 
respectively), initially charged alongside above suspects, pleaded guilty to a fresh 4-
count charge on July 15, and were subsequently sentenced to prison terms and fines, 
with their names deleted from an amended information filed by the prosecutor, EFCC. 

When the matter came up before Justice Oyewole yesterday morning, Chief Olisa 
Agbakoba, SAN, lead defence counsel for Nwude, was again absent in court (which led 
to an adjournment last week), although Mr. Rickey Tarfa, SAN, announced appearance 
for the 1st accused and sought court leave for some time to allow him acquaint himself 
properly with the matter; which prompted the court to grant a 30-minute recess.Although 
Agbakoba was earlier scheduled to cross-examine Mr. Naresh Asnani, an Indian 
business-man (PW6) who allegedly helped Nwude launder around $127 million through 
his bank accounts, both Tarfa and Mr. Adeshina Ogunlana (Okoli's counsel) declined to 
cross-examine Asnani despite his previous lengthy testimony. Lead prosecution 
counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs thereafter called upon Sakaguchi as the next witness, 
though the matter could not go on since he (Jacobs) told court he needed two days to 
confer with his star witness. 

Sakaguchi, on a business trip to Nigeria in 1994, was allegedly introduced to the 
accused, by his friend Dr. Hakim Ukeh, an Enugu-based businessman. Two of the 
suspects allegedly claimed that they control the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Nwude, 
a major shareholder at Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, posed as Mr. Paul Ogwuma, then 
Governor of CBN, while Amaka's husband, Ikechukwu Anajemba posed as Alhaji 
Mahey Rasheed, who was the CBN Deputy Governor in charge of foreign operations in 
1995. 

The unsuspecting Brazilian was deceived into believing that the suspects won a 
contract in Nigeria and was asked to send money to facilitate the supposed contract, 
which was done in 8 installments, beginning with a first installment of $1.2 million on 
August 9, 1995 and last payment of $1.35 million in 1998.

Here is the URL of the article for as long as it is good:
http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=33457
********************************************

15 NOV 2005
From WBAL TV News, NBC Channel 11, Baltimore MD:

TOWSON, Md. -- You've won thousands of dollars and you have a check to prove it, but 
are you the target of a scam?

Maryland, 46 other states and Western Union hope a new initiative will end scams run 
by people in foreign countries. The goal is to protect senior citizens and others who fall 
prey to false lottery notifications and money schemes.

It's considered a $40 billion a year problem -- consumers losing money they sent to 
fraudulent telemarketers and scam artists. Now, in an agreement between Western 
Union and 47 state attorneys general, customers will be warned before they wire money.

Attorney General Joseph Curran said Maryland was part of a multi-state investigation of 
telemarketing fraud. The investigation found nearly 40 percent of all telemarketing 
transfers that went to Canada were fraudulently induced. It also found of those 
telemarketers who are dishonest, 8 out of 10 of their victims were seniors. 
  
Sandra Hubbell received confidential letters from Nova Management and Payment, 
Inc., of Nova Scotia telling her she was the winner of $100,000 in a lottery. She even 
received a check for $3,600.

The catch: she had to deposit the check into her bank account. It would then be used to 
pay for processing and surcharges. She became suspicious.

"Not to mention I don't even remember entering a sweepstakes," Hubbell said. 
"According to the letter, it was 2 or 3 years ago I entered and they are just getting around 
to sending me my money."

Her bank found the check was bogus. She worries about seniors who may get similar 
letters or phone calls and then open up their bank accounts or send money transfers out 
of the country.

"It's terrible how people can prey on other people, especially the elderly," Hubbell said. 
"It's sad."

But Hubbell is glad there's an effort to prevent the fraud. Western Union will spend $8.1 
million on a national consumer awareness program for seniors and post warnings to 
customers. The company will block transfers if fraud is suspected and fire any of its 
agents who assist in fraud.

According to Western Union, customers who wire money and then think they are being 
scammed can stop the transaction and get reimbursed as long as the wire transfer has 
not been picked up on the other end. On the company's Web site, Western Union 
president Christina Gold said, "Consumer fraud is an issue we take very seriously."

Here is the URL for as long as it is good:
http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/5328001/detail.html#
***************************************

9 NOV 2005
This is an Op-Ed piece by Professor  Niyi Akinnaso, who 
teaches Anthropology and Linguistics in the United States,
which was published in The Guardian, a Nigerian newspaper.
We thought it was an excellent piece, so we've put it up:

Yours sincerely, 4-1-9
By Niyi Akinnaso

I recently received the 100th and 101st letters from 419 fraudsters and I thought I should 
share them with the general public, partly because of the names mentioned in the letters 
and partly because of what the letters reflect about the fraudulent activities perpetrated 
by Nigerians.

In each of the recent con letters, a purported close relative of a now infamous Nigerian 
approached me about a lucrative business deal, involving plenty of money. One of the 
fraudsters goes by the name Mariam Abacha and the other by the name Olatunde A. 
Balogun. These, of course, should be understood as the assumed names of the 
fraudsters rather than their real names. The former claims to be the widow of "General 
Abacha the former head of state of Nigeria", while the latter introduced himself as "the 
first son of the Former Inspector General of Police" who is "still under the custody of 
Investigation that was set up by the Federal Government to investigate his financial 
success." 

At first, the two messages looked very different, judging by the subject title and opening 
salutation. Mariam's message is titled "In good faith" and opens with "Dear Beloved." I 
first thought it was one of those evangelical messages of the type you are requested to 
circulate to at least three people. On the other hand, the subject title of Olatunde's letter 
is "Business Proposal" with "Dear Friend" as the opening salutation. However, upon 
reading both messages in full, I discovered several shared features characteristic of 
classical 419 letters. 

First, both con letter writers contacted me via e-mail. I must add that I have also received 
numerous con messages via telephone and fax. Just a few days ago, some fraudster 
left a message on my phone, confirming that my check has been cleared by the Central 
Bank and that I should contact him about the procedure for clearing it.

Second, the writers parade themselves as close relatives of some wealthy public figure. 
As mentioned above, one of the present writers is a wife and the other a first son of the 
wealthy person in question. These are excellent qualifications to convince me that both 
writers should have access to information about their relatives and, therefore, they 
should know what they are talking about.

Third, the relative and public figure represented by the fraudster is either dead or in 
serious trouble. So, the late General Abacha and the indicted former Inspector General 
of Police are good candidates, because neither could access his money. Since the 
federal government has been going after the money, it makes sense that close relatives 
would want to move some of it elsewhere to avoid seizure. 

Fourth, each wealthy relative has millions of dollars kept somewhere, which the con 
relatives want me to receive and keep on their behalf. Mariam explains why she wants 
me to keep the money for her: "I have lost confidence with anybody within my country. I 
got your contacts through personal research." Moreover, "due to security network 
placed on my daily affairs I can't visit the embassy so that is why I have contacted you." 
Olatunde's reason is explicitly business-related: "I want you to do us a favour to receive 
this trunk box and lodge the cash into a safe account in your country or any safe place 
as the beneficiary. We have plans to do investment in your country, like real estate and 
industrial production."

Fifth, the money in question has been kept in a safe place, still unknown to the 
government. Mariam assures me: "My husband deposited $12.6 million dollars with a 
security firm abroad whose name is withheld for now till we communicate." Olatunde 
said of his father: "Before his arrest, he had a trunk box containing cash deposited in a 
security vault in London up to the tune of $20M US Dollars." 

Sixth, I will have a share of the total sum of money involved; exactly 20 per cent in each 
case. So, I will make $2.52 million from the transaction with Mariam and $4 million from 
the one with Olatunde. A total sum of $6.52 million or N912.8 million. However, the 
procedure for getting the money into my account is quite intricate. Consequently, neither 
fraudster would tell me via the present e-mail address. 

This leads to the seventh shared characteristic of both letters. Both writers promise to 
provide further details about the transaction only after I have indicated my willingness to 
play along by responding to another private e-mail address. Mariam's private address 
is hajiamimi@yahoo.com, while Olatunde's is olatundebalogun000@yahoo.com. In my 
response, Mariam also wants me to supply my telephone and fax numbers. I guess 
Olatunde will request them later.

Although I never responded, and will never respond, to any 419 letter, I know a little bit 
about what might happen if I agreed to honor the fraudsters' solicitation. From various 
published accounts on 419, my bank account number would be needed so the money 
could be transferred there. If I express doubts about the funds being transferred, some 
fake documents may be sent to me (usually by fax) to authenticate the overseas 
account claimed by the fraudsters. I would be required to send some money for 
processing the transaction. Sometime down the road, complications may arise that 
inevitably would require me to send more and more money to save the venture. At the 
end of the day, my money would have gone to the fraudsters but no money would have 
come to me from them. And my bank account would have become insecure! 

The fraudulent scheme just described above is known in the United States as "Advance 
Fee Fraud" Scheme, named after the advance fees often demanded from fraud victims. 
The same scheme is often referred to as "The Nigerian Connection" in Europe, thus 
highlighting the presumed country of origin of the scheme. However, both in Nigeria and 
abroad, the scheme is generally referred to as 419, after the relevant section of 
Nigeria's criminal code. Although such a scheme has been found to originate from other 
West African countries and con collaborators abroad, it is generally associated with 
Nigeria.

Indeed, as recently as August 7, 2005, Dulue Mbachu of the Associated Press went as 
far as pinpointing an area of Lagos where fraudsters plan and hatch their plots. This is 
how Mbachu puts it: "Lagos, Nigeria - In Festac Town, an entire community of scammers 
overnights on the Internet. By day they flaunt their smart clothes and cars and hang 
around the Internet cafes, trading stories about successful cons and near misses, and 
hatching new plots."

There are many lessons about Nigeria and Nigerians to be learned from the 419 
scheme. First and foremost, the scheme is symptomatic of a broad range of fraudulent 
practices associated with Nigeria as a nation and some Nigerians at home and abroad. 
These fraudulent practices range from bribery and corruption, money laundering, credit 
card fraud, and illicit drug trade to examination fraud, falsified credentials, and rigged 
elections. These are the practices that have earned Nigeria the bad reputation of a 
corrupt nation, a stigmatisation that continues to affect trade, diplomatic, and other 
relations with Nigeria.

The two 419 letters analysed above are particularly significant because they highlight 
allegations of corruption in two high places, namely, the police and the presidency. 
Although he has not been convicted of any crime, Tafa Balogun, the former Inspector 
General of Police, is facing numerous charges of corruption involving billions of Naira. 
By the same token, the late Gen. Sani Abacha, a former Head of State, is said to have 
laundered huge sums of money through United Kingdom (UK) and Swiss banks, some 
of which was recently returned to Nigeria. Mariam and Olatunde, the present fraudsters, 
are capitalising on these well known cases.

Finally, these celebrated cases also remind us of other contemporary allegations of 
fraud. These include the National Identity Card Project fraud involving a former Minister 
of Internal Affairs; the bribe-for-budget scandal, involving a former Minister of Education 
and several Senators; the 14 billion Naira fertilizer scam, involving at least a Minister 
and a Senator; the ongoing money laundering case involving a state Governor; the 
recent disclosure by the Central Bank of 99 cases of bank fraud and forgeries involving 
N733.74 million; and the notorious forgeries associated with Oluwole market in Lagos. 

It would be unfair, of course, not to acknowledge the anti-corruption work of the present 
administration, which heightened recently in response to pressure from G8 leaders and 
the Paris Club. While this effort is leading to various revelations of fraud, two important 
questions remain. First, what happens to the money being recovered? Second, will the 
present effort curb corruption any better than previous government efforts, such as 
Shagari's Ethical Revolution and Abacha's War Against Indiscipline and Corruption? 
Whatever the answers may be to these questions, it is at least refreshing to hope that 
Nigeria's political culture of corruption will change for the better. 
*******************************************

20 OCT 2005
From the Los Angeles Times:

Nigerian Cyber Scammers

To the cyber scammers in Nigeria who trawl for victims on the Internet, Americans are 
easy targets. But one thief had second thoughts. 

By Robyn Dixon, Times Staff Writer

FESTAC, Nigeria:  As patient as fishermen, the young men toil day and night, trawling for 
replies to the e-mails they shoot to strangers half a world away.

Most recipients hit delete, delete, delete, delete without ever opening the messages that 
urge them to claim the untold riches of a long-lost deceased second cousin, and the 
messages that offer millions of dollars to help smuggle loot stolen by a corrupt Nigerian 
official into a U.S. account.

But the few who actually reply make this a tempting and lucrative business for the boys 
of Festac, a neighborhood of Lagos at the center of the cyber-scam universe. The 
targets are called maghas - scammer slang from a Yoruba word meaning fool, and 
refers to gullible white people.

Samuel is 19, handsome, bright, well-dressed and ambitious. He has a special flair for 
computers. Until he quit the game last year, he was one of Festac's best-known cyber-
scam champions.

Like nearly everyone here, he is desperate to escape the run-down, teeming streets, the 
grimy buildings, the broken refrigerators stacked outside, the strings of wet washing. It's 
the kind of place where plainclothes police prowl the streets extorting bribes, where 
mobs burn thieves to death for stealing a cellphone, and where some people paint 
"This House Is Not For Sale" in big letters on their homes, in case someone posing as 
the owner tries to put it on the market.

It is where places like the Net Express cyber cafe thrive.

The atmosphere of silent concentration inside the cafe is absolute, strangely 
reminiscent of a university library before exams. Except, that is, for the odd guffaw or 
cheer. The doors are locked from 10:30 p.m. until 7 a.m., so the cyber thieves can work 
in peace without fear of armed intruders.

In this sanctum, Samuel says, he extracted thousands of American e-mail addresses, 
sent off thousands of fraudulent letters, and waited for replies. He thinks disclosure of his 
surname could endanger his safety.

The e-mail scammers here prefer hitting Americans, whom they see as rich and easy to 
fool. They rationalize the crime by telling themselves there are no real victims: Maghas 
are avaricious and complicit.

To them, the scams, called 419 after the Nigerian statute against fraud, are a game.

Their anthem, "I Go Chop Your Dollars," hugely popular in Lagos, hit the airwaves a few 
months ago as a CD penned by an artist called Osofia:

"419 is just a game, you are the losers, we are the winners.

White people are greedy, I can say they are greedy

White men, I will eat your dollars, will take your money and disappear.

419 is just a game, we are the masters, you are the losers."

"Nobody feels sorry for the victims," Samuel said.

Scammers, he said, "have the belief that white men are stupid and greedy. They say the 
American guy has a good life. There's this belief that for every dollar they lose, the 
American government will pay them back in some way."

What makes the scams so tempting for the targets is that they promise a tantalizing 
escape from the mundane disappointments of life. The scams offer fabulous riches or 
the love of your life, but first the magha has to send a series of escalating fees and 
payments. In a dating scam, for instance, the fraudsters send pictures taken from 
modeling websites.

"Is the girl in these pictures really you?? I just can't get over your beauty!!!! I can't believe 
my luck!!!!!!!" one hapless American wrote recently to a scammer seeking $1,200.

The scammer replied, "Would you send the money this week so I may buy a ticket?"

"Aww babe. I don't have the money yet. I will get it, though. Don't you worry your pretty lil 
head, hun," the victim wrote back.

The real push comes when the fictional girlfriend or fiancee, who claims to be in 
America, goes to Nigeria for business. In a series of "mishaps," her wallet is stolen and 
she is held hostage by the hotel owner until she can come up with hundreds of dollars 
for the bill. She needs a new airline ticket, has to bribe churlish customs officials and 
gets caught. Finally, she needs a hefty get-out-of-jail bribe.

The U.S. Secret Service estimates such schemes net hundreds of millions of dollars 
annually worldwide, with many victims too afraid or embarrassed to report their losses.

Basil Udotai of the government's Nigerian Cybercrime Working Group said 419 fraud 
represents a tiny portion of Nigerian computer crime, but is taken seriously by 
authorities because of the damage it does to the country's reputation.

"The government is not just sitting on its hands," he said. "It's very important for the 
international community to know that Nigeria is not glossing over the problem of 419. We 
are putting together measures that will tackle all forms of online crime and give law 
enforcement agencies opportunities to combat it."

Asishana Okauru, acting director of financial intelligence for the government's Economic 
and Financial Crimes Commission, said $700 million relating to 419 crime had been 
seized in the two years since the establishment of the EFCC. There have been 12 
convictions in such cases brought during that time, he said. Okauru said he felt this was 
a good result given the sluggishness of Nigeria's legal system, but critics say the courts 
are too slow and corrupt. 

Nigerian authorities, extremely sensitive about 419 crime, say the scammers are mostly 
from other countries, and that any Nigerians who participate do so because of high 
unemployment and, above all, the greed of victims. 

When Samuel, at age 15, sat down in a cyber cafe and started drilling away at the 
keyboard, he had no idea he was being watched by one of Festac's cyber-crime 
wizards. After noting Samuel's speed and skill, the crime boss, nicknamed Shepherd, 
invited him to his mansion to try extracting e-mail addresses using search engines. 
Then, to make Samuel feel special, he took him shopping for designer clothes.

"He's fun to be with. When you're around him he makes you feel you have no 
problems," Samuel said. Shepherd hooked him with the same bait he uses for maghas.

"He said every hour I spent online I could be making good money," Samuel recalled. 
"He said, 'The houses I own, I got it through all this.' And they're not just ordinary houses. 
They're big, made of marble. He's got big-screen TVs, a swimming pool inside. He 
lives like a prince. He's the biggest guy in this town."

A teenager who didn't really know about the scams, Samuel was "a bit confused" when 
Shepherd offered him 20% of the take. "But I looked at everything he had, and it got into 
my head, actually. The money he had, the cars."

Eager to impress his new boss, Samuel worked for six-hour stretches extracting e-mail 
addresses and sending off letters that had been composed by a college graduate also 
working for Shepherd.

He sent 500 e-mails a day and usually received about seven replies. Shepherd would 
then take over.

"When you get a reply, it's 70% sure that you'll get the money," Samuel said.

Soon he was working for two bosses, Shepherd and Colosi, both well known to 
authorities but neither of them bothered in a place where police involvement in the 
scams is widely alleged.

"Most of the time you look for American contacts because of the value of the dollar, and 
because the fraudsters here have contacts in America who wrap up the job over there," 
Samuel said. "For example, the offshore people will go to pose as the Nigerian 
ambassador to the U.S., or as government officials. They will show some documents: 
This has presidential backing, this has government backing. And you will be convinced 
because they will tell you in such a way that you won't be able to say no."

After a scam letter surfaced this summer bearing the forged signature of 
NigerianPresident Olusegun Obasanjo, police raided a market in the Oluwole 
neighborhood of Lagos, one of six main centers that provide documents used in the 419 
scams. They seized thousands of foreign and Nigerian passports, 10,000 blank British 
Airways tickets, 10,000 U.S. money orders, customs documents, fake university 
certificates, 500 printing plates and 500 computers. A stolen U.S. passport fetches 
$2,500 on the black market here.

The scams often involve bogus Internet sites, such as lottery websites, or oil company, 
bank or government sites. The scammers sometimes use London phone prefixes to 
make victims think they are calling Britain.

Though the fraud is apparent to many, some people think they have stumbled on a 
once-in-a-lifetime deal, and scammers can string them along for months with mythical 
difficulties. Some victims eventually contribute huge sums of money to save the deal 
when it is suddenly "at risk."

Stephen Kovacsics of American Citizen Services, an office of the U.S. Consulate, spoke 
to a victim who had lost $200,000.

Kovacsics says he is awakened several nights a week by Americans pleading for help 
with an emergency, such as a fiancee (whom they have only met in an online chat room) 
locked up in a Nigerian jail. He has to tell them that there is probably no fiancee, no 
emergency.

Kovacsics said victims can't believe that a scammer would spend months of internet 
chat just to net $700 or $1,000, not realizing that is big money in Nigeria and fraudsters 
will have many scams running at the same time.

By 2003, Shepherd was fleecing 25 to 40 victims a month, Samuel said. Samuel never 
got the 20%, but still made a minimum of $900 a month, three times the average income 
here. At times, he made $6,000 to $7,000 a month.

Samuel said Shepherd employs seven Nigerians in America, including one in the San 
Francisco Bay Area, to spy on maghas and threaten any who get cold feet. If a big deal 
is going off track, he calls in all seven.

"They're all graduates and very smart," Samuel said. "Four of them are graduates in 
psychology here in Nigeria. If the white guy is getting suspicious, he'll call them all in and 
say, 'Can you finish this off for me?'

"They'll try to scare you that you're not going to get out of it. Or you're going to be 
arrested and you will face trial in Nigeria. They'll say: 'We know you were at Wal-Mart 
yesterday. We know the D.A. He's our friend.' "

"They'll tell you that you are in too deep -  you either complete it or you'll be killed."

Samuel said his mother, widowed when he was 16, was devastated when she saw him 
in the street with Shepherd and realized what he was up to.

"She tried to force me to stop, but the more force she applied, the more hardened I 
became. I said: 'You can't give me what I want. I want a good life.' "

But Samuel began having second thoughts when a friend was arrested after ripping off a 
boss for $17,000.

The friend was badly beaten before disappearing into the depths of the labyrinthine 
Nigerian justice system. Samuel thought of his mother and how she would be left alone if 
something happened to him.

When he gave up cyber crime at the end of last year, he said nothing to his mother. But 
she noticed.

"She said she was happy and she could sleep well," he said. "Actually, I started crying. I 
couldn't control myself. I realized there was more to life than chasing money."

Now when he sees Shepherd in the streets, his former boss just grins.

"He says: 'Don't worry. You'll come back to me.' "

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

The many forms of 419 scams

Advance-fee frauds, also known as 419, appear to offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity 
to get rich or find the girl of your dreams. The scams can involve phony websites, forged 
documents and Nigerians in America posing as government officials. Here are some of 
the most popular:

The "next of kin" scam, tempting you to claim an inheritance of millions of dollars in a 
Nigerian bank belonging to a long-lost relative, then collecting money for various bank 
and transfer fees.

The "laundering crooked money" scam, in which you are promised a large commission 
on a multibillion-dollar fortune, persuaded to open an account, contribute funds and 
sometimes even travel to Nigeria.

The "Nigerian National Petroleum Co." scam, in which the scammer offers cheap crude 
oil, then demands money for commissions and bribes.

The "overpayment" scam, in which fraudsters send a bank check overpaying for a car 
or other goods by many thousands of dollars, persuading the victim to transfer the 
difference back to Nigeria.

The "job offer you can't refuse" scam, in which an "oil company" offers a job with an 
overly attractive salary and conditions (in one example, $180,000 a year and $300 per 
hour for overtime) and extracts money for visas, permits and other fees.

The "winning ticket in a lottery you never entered" scam - including, lately, the State 
Department's green card lottery.

The "gorgeous person in trouble" scam, in which scammers in chat rooms and on 
Christian dating sites pose as beautiful American or Nigerian women, luring lonely men 
into Internet intimacy over weeks or months then asking them to send money to get them 
out of trouble. 

Here is the URL of the piece for as long as it is good:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-fg-scammers20oct20,0,1677711,full.story?coll=la-home-headlines
*************************************************

1 OCT 2005
Sent in by an Associate, from the the Middletown NY 
Times Herald-Record (Hudson Valley NY), Online:

Claryville:  Police arrest two in lottery scam

The scam is one of the most common around today, according to the Federal Trade 
Commission: A lottery scam.

But a Claryville man didn't know that. On a promise of a big lottery payout, the man 
sent  $7,800 to a New Jersey company. Then the company promised an extra $750,000 
if he wired $7,100 more to them in Jersey City, N.J., via Western Union.

The Claryville man called state police and they set up a sting operation, with the help 
of  Western Union's security department and Jersey City police. On Thursday, when two 
men tried to claim the $7,100 at the Jersey City Western Union, store, Jersey City cops 
arrested them.

Jersey City filed charges and New York State Police lodged an arrest warrant charging 
Aloice A. Vincent, 28, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and William Anderson Wheatfield, 
35, of Toronto, with attempted third-degree grand larceny, a felony. Police said 
they're Nigerian-Canadian citizens.

The men were being held at the Hudson County, N.J., Jail.

Here is the URL of the piece for as long as it is good:
http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2005/10/01/brf373.htm
******************************************

28 SEP 2005
From The Guardian, a Nigerian newspaper:

Nwude asked me to implicate Anajemba, witness tells court
By Mustapha Ogunsakin

A WITNESS in the trial of two Nigerians over alleged $242 million fraud yesterday told a 
Lagos High Court how the principal accused person, Chief Emmanuel Nwude, denied 
him and asked him to implicate a dead man because "dead men don't speak."
  
Nwude and others were accused of defrauding a Brazilian bank of $242 million.

The witness, an Indian, Mr. Naresh Asnami gave this evidence before the trial judge, 
Justice Olubunmi Oyewole of the Ikeja Judicial Division in conclusion of the evidence in 
chief conducted by the prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs.

Asnami started his evidence in chief last Friday. He revealed that he was used to 
launder $127 million through his on-shore accounts in London and Geneva, Switzerland.

For now, the aspect of money laundering in the trial of what has come to be regarded as 
the biggest fraud trial in the world may be nearing completion.

It is still expected that the managing director of Banco Noroeste, the bank that was 
defrauded may still come before the court to give evidence on how the crime was 
actually committed.

When the matter come up yesterday, Asnami narrated to the court how he found out that 
his account was all along used for the fraud.

He said: "When I was informed that my accounts has been used for the fraud, I 
contacted Chief Nwude. He told me he couldn't understand what is going on and was 
not aware of what is happening. A few months latter, I received an e-mail on his behalf 
from the lawyer in Switzerland. It was a draft prepared for him to swear to by the lawyer to 
the effect that he did not know me. I rushed to his house at Osborne road, Ikoyi, Lagos, 
and asked him how he could swear to an affidavit denying me.

"He told me to inform my lawyer or anybody else that I did not know Chief Emmanuel 
Nwude and that I only know Chief I.K. Anajemba since he was no longer alive. He 
(Nwude) then added: "Dead man don't speak."

The late Anajemba was the husband of Mrs. Amaka Martina Anajemba, who pleaded 
guilty to the charges brought against her and was sentenced to two and a half years 
imprisonment in addition to losing properties worth several millions of naira in the same 
fraud trial.

The other two who are still standing trial are Nwude and Chief Nzeribe Okoli. Late 
Anajemba was the third person involved in the scam but he died long before the long 
arms of the law caught up with the accused persons.

Asnami further gave a vivid account of how he transferred various sums of monies into 
different banks abroad and how he also used the ones he could not transfer to buy 
goods for his company, Royal Crest Nigeria Limited.

He also told the court how he used companies belonging to the Indian Community 
members. The money, according to him, was given to the members of the Indian 
Community in dollars. They in turn used the money to buy goods which they imported 
into the country after which they pay back to him the equivalent of the sums in naira. He 
(Naresh) in turn credited the accounts of companies given to him by Chief Nwude with 
the monies.

He said: "The other balance was used for the payment of the supply of the goods for 
which I pay the equivalent in naira and another I sold to friends belonging to the Indian 
Community who gave me the equivalent in naira by cheques in favour of Nigerian 
companies given to me by Chief Nwude."

Further trial will continue on Friday when Nwude's lawyer, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba is 
expected to cross-examine Mr. Asnami. 

ThisDay and other Nigerian newspapers also did pieces on this story.
************************************

26 SEP 2005
From The Guardian, a Nigerian newspaper:

Witness admits laundering $127m for Nwude, others
By Mustapha ogunsakin

A year after, the trial of three Nigerians who allegedly defrauded a Brazillian bank of 
$242 million resumed at the weekend with an Indian businessman revealing how he 
laundered $127million for the accused person.
  
Since September 2004, the trial judge, Justice Joseph Olubumi Oyewole had to contend 
with one application or the other from defence lawyers all in a bid to stall trial of the 
accused persons.

Those standing trial in the scam are Chief Emmanuel Nwude and Chief Nzeribe Okoli. 
The third accused person, Mrs. Martina Amaka Anajemba pleaded guilty to the charges 
preferred against her, and was sentenced to two and half years imprisonment on July 
15, 2005 in addition to forfeiting properties that runs into several millions of naira.

Within the last year, the first accused person, Nwude changed his lawyers at least three 
times. The high point was when Chief G. O. K. Ajayi (SAN) came into the matter and 
abruptly stormed out of court because the trial judge refused to stay proceedings 
pending an appeal he had filed before the Court of Appeal, Lagos. He eventually lost 
the appeal. He never came back to the court.

Also last week, September 13, there was a bomb scare at the Ikeja High Court premises 
where the trial is taking place. Many believed that the scare might not be unconnected 
with the case.

However last Friday, an Indian, Mr. Maresh Asnami, a director of Royal Oil Nigeria 
Limited, for five hours, pointed how he was hired into laundering $27million for the 
accused persons out of the $242 million involved in the scam.

Asnami has also paid a price for being a part of the fraud. He was convicted in Geneva 
for money laundering in the same scam and he spent four years in jail. Because of the 
fraud, his father had to relocate to India from the United States of America (USA) on the 
same case. Both father and son now live in India.

Led in evidence by the prosecution lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, Asnami, told the court 
how he was allegedly hired into the laundering business by the branch manager of a 
new generation bank, Mr Babatunde Soares.

Soares was in court in July 2004 and he gave evidence on his role in the scam. Asnami 
told the court that when Soares introduced him to Nwude, he tried to conduct his own 
investigation on his (Nwude's ) personality.

His investigations, he claimed, took him to a bank official, Mrs. N. B. Dosunmu, who told 
him that her employers never had problems with Nwude and that he is a reliable 
customer.

He also got words from officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) 
and the State Security Service (SSS). The two agencies attested to the impeccable 
character Nwude.

Asnami further narrated how he after all these assurances, negotiated with Nwude 
through Soares. This was how he helped laundered $127 million through his offshore 
accounts in Geneva, London, and Hong Kong.

The witness is expected to continue his evidence in chief today.

Here is the URL pf the piece for as long as it is good:
http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/news/article12

ThisDay also covered the story, here is the URL for that
piece for as long as it is good:
http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=29270
******************************************

23 SEP 2005
From ThisDay, a Nigerian newspaper:

EFCC Arraigns Female Director over N21m Fraud
By Abimbola Akosile

A 56-year old female director of Macro-Economic Planning, Ministry of Special Duties in 
Oyo State Civil Service, was yesterday arraigned by the Economic and Financial 
Crimes Commission (EFCC) before an Ikeja High Court judge.

The woman, Mrs. Helen Bankole Laoye was brought before Justice Morenike Obadina 
on two separate charges.

The  accused was arrested in May this year and charged to court for conspiring with four 
other persons (still at large) to obtain the sum of N6 million and $105,000 totaling 
N21,225,000.00 (twenty-one million, two hundred and twenty-five thousand naira) from 
Messrs. Segun Olufunmi and Adeola Adepoju, Directors of East Atlantic Business 
Systems Support Services on one hand and one Pastor Samson Olatunbosun on the 
other hand; contrary to Sections 8(a) and 1(3) of Advance Fee Fraud Act, 2004.


When the matter came up around 10am yesterday, Laoye who was brought from EFCC 
office in Ikoyi, broke down in tears  and pleaded not guilty to all the eight counts in the 
two separate charges. She added that she was the only one who was brought to court in 
the matter.

While lead prosecution counsel, Mr. Seidu Atteh urged the court to remand the accused 
in prison, her defence counsel, Mr. Obafemi Oyeneye pleaded that she should be 
allowed to remain within the confines of the EFCC office. a plea which was refused by the 
judge, who ordered that she should be taken to Kirikiri Medium Security Prisons (female 
wing). Obadina thereafter adjourned the matter till October 11-14 for commencement of 
trial.

Laoye, alongside other accused persons, were charged with obtaining the above-
mentioned sums between January and February 2004, in the first charge and between 
May and September 2004, in the second charge. 

The N4m obtained in first charge was said to represent part payment of security 
deposit/contract grant guarantee in respect of an Information Technology (IT) project to 
be financed by Department for International Development (DFID) UK; while the N2m and 
$105,000  obtained from the pastor was alleged to be part payment that involved a 
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) cargo transaction.
*********************************************

15 SEP 2005
From The Guardian, a Nigerian newspaper:

Trial of fraud suspect holds despite Tuesday's bomb scare
By Mustapha Ogunsakin

UNDAUNTED by the bomb scare that was believed to have been targeted at his court 
on Tuesday, Justice Olubunmi Oyewole yesterday continued hearing in the fraud case 
involving a Brazilian bank, believed to be the world's biggest scam.

Justice Oyewole was the only judge who sat in the whole of Ikeja High Court yesterday.

More facts have also emerged on how a witness in the trial, Mr. Seyi Ogunleye, was 
kidnapped in the chaotic situation that arose in the aftermath of the scare.

Sources also narrated how the trial judge escaped to safety after he was told of the 
possible bomb explosion.

At exactly 10.10 a.m. yesterday, Justice Oyewole was seated in his court.

And the first case he heard was the $242 million scam against a Brazilian bank preferred 
against Chief Emmanuel Nwude and Chief Nzeribe Okoli. 

It was the case he was hearing when the bomb scare occurred on Tuesday.

Immediately Justice Oyewole sat yesterday, he apologised to the lawyers present for 
what he had thought would be a short adjournment, which eventually took 24 hours. The 
whole court burst into laughter, thereby easing whatever tension everybody in court 
might feel.

The case could not, however, go on as the accused persons were not brought to court 
by the prison wardens. The prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), the defence lawyer, 
Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), and the lawyer to the second accused person (Okoli), Mr. 
Sina Ogunlana, all agreed that the court should adjourn till tomorrow so that prison 
wardens could bring the accused persons to court.

A court official yesterday alleged that Ogunleye was kidnapped and put inside the 
same bus with a principal accused person in a fraud case.

The official, who preferred anonymity, yesterday told journalists that she saw same 
heftymen rough handling Ogunleye and moving him towards the gate. As they 
approached the gates, the unknown persons changed tactics by giving a phone to 
Ogunleye to give the accused person; in the process of which prison officials in 
company of the accused persons joined the unknown persons in beating up Ogunleye.

"This was in the glare of everybody who had run out of court but nobody knew he 
(Ogunleye) was a court witness. They thereafter commanded a bus, moved the 
accused persons and Ogunleye into the bus and sped away", she narrated.

Ogunleye was later dropped on the Third Mainland Bridge after all documents that he 
was to tender in court had been taken away from him.

The judge's escape from his chambers was dramatic. Someone had gone to his 
secretary to tell her to inform the judge that he must rise immediately. When the 
Secretary had something about bomb blast, she could not wait for the informant to finish 
as she ran into the court (where the judge was already sitting) and whispered to him the 
information at her disposal.

Justice Oyewole did not wait. He told the bewildered lawyers that he was rising for a few 
minutes. From that point, he entered his chambers, pulled off his wing and gown (the 
inner coat and crib were still intact) and sped out of the court premises.

His first port of call was nearby police headquarters where the judge met the State 
Police Commissioner Ade Ajakaiye who was at a meeting with his senior officers. It was 
Ajakaiye who now explained to him the intelligence report the police had, which 
culminated into the bomb explosion experts moving into the court complex. It was after 
this that the trial judge moved into safety.

Here is the URL of the piece for as long as it is good:
http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/news/article05
***************************************

14 SEP 2005
From The Guardian, a Nigerian newspaper:

Bomb scare at Lagos high court

Judges, lawyers scamper to safety

Exhibit in bank scam case missing

By Mustapha Ogunsakin, Tunde Alao, Alex Olise, Esther Ojo, Tutu Adeyanju and Taiwo 
Oludare

PANDEMONIUM broke out yesterday at the Ikeja High Court premises in Lagos State 
over a bomb scare. By the time the dust cleared, some vital documents in a bank fraud 
case were reported stolen by some yet unknown persons who were alleged to have 
kidnapped a key witness but later released him.

Men of the Nigeria Mobile Police had to cordon the entire Oba Akinjobi Street, starting 
from the junction beside the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). 
Human and vehicular traffic became hectic while the pandemonium raged

Judges, lawyers, judicial officers and litigants, and even accused persons who were 
brought to court for trial ran helter-skelter in fear.

Most of the judges could not wait for their cars and orderlies, as they ran out of the high 
court premises, which is the headquarters of the state judiciary.

The incident drew the immediate attention of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police 
(AIG) Zone 2, Mr. Israel Ajao and the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ade Ajakaiye.

It all started around 10.00 a.m. when most courts had started sitting. Policemen from the 
Bomb Disposal Unit had arrived at the court with two vehicles, saying that they had 
intelligence report that a bomb, which had been planted in the court complex, might 
explode at anytime.

The Police team was led by Ajao and an Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of 
Area 'F' Command, Mr. Habila Joshak.

Ajao later gave instructions that the whole area be cordoned. There were more than 100 
armed mobile policemen on the ground.

In the confusion, a witness, who was in court to testify in the biggest fraud case involving 
a Brazilian bank, was kidnapped and taken to an unknown destination by some 
unknown persons. 

The witness, Seyi Ogunleye, was to testify for the prosecution, the Economic and 
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) team led by Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN).

All the documents he was to tender before the court were reportedly taken from him by 
the kidnappers, before he was released.

As at press time, officers of the EFCC had taken the witness to Ajao.

The police used a public address system to call on people to go out of the premises. 
Some judges who were sitting, hurriedly rose and made straight for their chambers, from 
where they took off.

Lawyers were not left out. A Senior Advocate and lawyer to Chief Emmanuel Nwude was 
arguing an application before Justice Olubunmi Oyewole in $242 million bank scam 
when the pandemonium started.

The senior lawyer hurriedly ran out of the court and made straight for his car.

In the process, his wig fell and was picked by one of his juniors. Even accused persons 
were guided out of the premises by prison warders to the "Black Maria" vehicle.

For high profile accused persons like Nwude and his co-accused, Chief Nzeribe Okoli, 
prison warders could not wait. They commandeered a bus and took them away 
immediately.

Also in the chaos, most judicial officers could not wait to lock their offices, or shut down 
their computers before they hurriedly left the premises.

The leader of the bomb disposal unit, Mr. Henry Idiodi, later told journalists that the 
police had received intelligence report that a bomb had been planted in the premises.

As at 2.00 p.m., the men of the Bomb Disposal Unit were still combing the premises, from 
one office to another while the gates to the court remained shut.

The Chief Registrar of the court, Mr. Abiodun Dabiri, in company of some of his senior 
members of staff, later told The Guardian that the situation was "under control" and that 
the court would open today.

The Ikeja High Court has been playing host to many celebrated cases, especially 
cases that have to do with the EFCC and also the celebrated attempted murder of The 
Guardian Publisher, Mr. Alex Ibru case, against former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. 
Ishaya Bamaiyi, Major Al-Mustapha Hamza and others.

Incidentally, most of these cases are being handled by Justice Oyewole. In fact, the 
Nwude case was on when the bomb scare occurred. Nwude's lawyer, Mr. Olisa 
Agbakoba (SAN), had brought an application before the court seeking to quash the 91-
count charge preferred against his client. Agbakoba was in the process of arguing his 
case when the incident started.

Intimidating phone calls and threat letters had of late been sent to Justice Oyewole. On 
October 18, 2004, the judge had said in an open court that some persons were paying 
unusual visits to him over a case. 

He had said: "There are certain visits I received from certain people on behalf of the 
accused persons. This is totally unnecessary, as this court would decide this case 
based on what happened in this court. The accused persons should be assured that 
this court would be fair in this trial."

On December 10, 2004, Justice Oyewole's secretary received a courier letter while the 
judge was sitting in open court. The letter addressed to Justice Oyewole turned out to 
be a warning on the various cases.

In the letter sent through DHL Courier company, the anonymous writers declared that 
they know the judge's home and the school of his children and threatened to deal with 
him at the appropriate time.

Police sources told The Guardian that the first intelligence report on the likely explosion 
was received early in the morning by Ajao.

A similar report was sent to Ajakaiye.

The two top officers quickly made contact and assembled a team of policemen drawn 
from the Force Anti-bomb Squad and made straight for the court.

Ajao and Ajakaiye said the police action was in its 'proactive' bid to tackle terrorism.

Police sources said the intelligence report was linked to a high profile case in one of the 
courts.

The bomb scare and police response came barely three weeks after the Senate 
passed the Anti-Terrorism Bill. 

The Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, had in a recent interview 
confirmed that very soon, the force would monitor Lagos and Abuja with "Close Circuit 
Television (CCTV)", which would help to detect heinous crimes. 

Here is the URL of the piece for as long as it is good:
http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/news/article01

ThisDay and other Nigerian newpapers also did articles
on this incident, here is the URL of ths ThisDay piece for
as long as it is good:
http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=28180

And The URL of The Punch piece for as long as it is good:
http://www.punchng.com/main/article01

Also the Daily Champion URL for their piece for as long as
it is good:
http://www.champion-newspapers.com/news/teasers/article_1
************************************************

13 SEP 2005
From ThisDay, a Nigerian newspaper:

Obasanjo: Some Nigerians Tried 419 on Me
...Nigeria, haven of fake drugs

From Kunle Aderinokun in Abuja with agency report

President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday said advance fee fraudsters aka 419 once 
attempted to defraud him. He, however, did not disclose whether or not he fell for it.

Also yesterday in Abuja, Obasanjo said Nigeria is still a haven of fake drugs despite 
the efforts of his administration to stop the activities of fake drugs syndicate.

At a meeting with Spanish business community in Madrid, Spain Obasanjo said that the 
fraudsters are no respecter of status and advised Spanish businessmen willing to do 
business with Nigerians to crosscheck any dealings with the Nigerian embassy.
"We have a number of Nigerians who are engaged in 419, they even tried it on me. Can 
you imagine", Obasanjo told his audience.

He said that his fight against corruption would go on until the menace was reduced to the 
barest minimum.  Obasanjo said he was "on a total war against corruption in all its forms 
and manifestations".

He urged the Spanish businessmen to look and perceive Nigeria in new light and "put 
aside all the stereotypes, misinformation, prejudice and wrong data bandied about 
Nigeria".
Obasanjo said although the country had its share of its problems on corruption the 
government was doing something  about it, "adding, "and we are succeeding".
[The remainder of the article does not deal with 419 matters]

Here is the URL of the piece for as long as it is good:
http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=28064
****************************************

2 SEP 2005
From The Guardian, a Nigerian newspaper:

EFCC can't find internet fraudsters, says Ribadu
From Gbolahan Gbadamosi, Jos

THE Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam 
Nuhu Ribadu, yesterday admitted the inability of his commission to track down and 
punish those who commit advanced fee fraud through the internet.

Speaking through the Secretary to the Commission, Mr. Emmanuel Akomaye, Ribadu 
noted that despite the deluge of complaints flooding his commission on a daily basis, 
it  was a matter of regret that the "culprits could not be tracked down."

He spoke at the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) yearly general conference in 
the Plateau State capital, Jos.The session was on the topic : 'Review of Cases of 
Professional Misconduct'.

Chairman of the session, former First Vice- President of the NBA, Mrs. Funke Adekoya 
(SAN) challenged the EFCC on the deluge of fraud-induced letters in her mail which she 
copied to the commission in respect of which no action was taken.  [The article 
continued concerning other matters not 419 related...]
*********************************************

2 SEP 2005
From the Daily Independent, a Nigerian newspaper:

EU sponsors team to monitor EFCC, ICPC

By Rafiu Ajakaye
Trainee Reporter, Lagos

The European Commission (EC), an arm of the European Union (EU), has voted N15 
million to monitor anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria.

The money would be used to sponsor a monitoring team in the country to keep tab on 
the operations of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and 
Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission.

The exercise to be coordinated by the International Press Centre (IPC), Nigeria, 
began on Thursday in Lagos and it is expected to span two years after which 
recommendations and appraisals would be made on the President Olusegun 
Obasanjo-led anti-graft campaign.

Representative EC and the Project Manager, Good Governance and Human Rights, 
Nigeria, Raheemat Momodu, said the project aims at encouraging, monitoring as well 
as partnering with the Nuhu Ribadu and Mustapha Akanbi-led anti-graft agencies .

Nigerians alone cannot keep tab on, and end the scourge of corruption in the country, 
Momodu insisted, urging Nigerian journalists to double their efforts in reporting and 
exposing corrupt practices in the society.  

The IPC said one of the reasons behind setting up the anti-graft monitoring team is to 
weed out corruption which has hindered transparency, accountability, openness, the 
factors democracy requires to flourish. 

Briefing newsmen at the launch of the campaign, the Project Coordinator, Lanre 
Arogundade, said the first project would begin with monitoring the cases of the former 
Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun, Fred Ajudua and former Managing Director 
of the Bank of the North, Muhammed Bulama, all of whom are being prosecuted by the 
EFCC.  This would start from this month till October 1, 2006.

Others include training workshop for journalists and anti-corruption activists reporting, 
the use of media in advocacy against corruption focusing, among others, on ethics of 
corruption reporting, role of media groups in fighting corruption, etc.

Its operation would include "publication of bi-monthly anti-corruption summary (reports, 
analysis, messages) in the print media to focus on judicial processes, assessment of 
anti-corruption agencies, public perspectives on corruption, etc. 

Publication of a quarterly journal, index on corruption to focus on developments in 
tracking and curbing corruption, judicial, legislative and executive anti-corruption 
decisions and polices, gender role in anti-corruption war".   

The objectives, Arogundade stressed, are that the "project shall help to contribute 
answers to a number of pertinent questions that are of public concern: How effective are 
the anti-corruption agencies in the prosecution of the anti-corruption war? What are the 
challenges they face and are there any obstacles militating against the effective 
discharge of their duties and responsibility? What is the public perception of the anti-
corruption war and to what extent do the anti-corruption enjoy public confidence?"

Here is the URL of the piece for as long as it is good:
http://www.independentng.com/news/nnsep020537.htm
*********************************************

2 SEP 2005
From the Daily Independent, a Nigerian newspaper:

Regulate cyber café activities, US advises Nigerian govt 
By Sunny Igboanugo, Assistant Editor, Politics 

The Federal Government has been urged to put measures in place to arrest the rising 
incidents of cyber crimes in the country to curb is negative image abroad and enhance 
business opportunities for its nationals and a fertile ground for more local investments. 
  
Mr. Michael McGee, Commercial Counselor at the United States Embassy in Nigeria, 
told reporters in Lagos this week that a lot of damage had been done to the credibility of 
Nigeria as a result of the negative use to which few Nigerians have put the internet, a 
means of communication that has brought a lot of positive changes in the world of 
business and other inter-personal relationships. 

"A lot of criminal activities go on in the cyber cafes, not because their owners are 
contributors or collaborators, but because people come in and take advantage of it, 
anonymously almost and do these kinds of activities. But if there are means in which 
regulatory bodies in the country in charge of communications and Internet could utilise 
technology to have a better hold and grasp of what is actually going on in these cyber 
cafes, it would be able to clamp down on this," he said. 

He said a lot of responsibilities actually lay with the greater part of the citizenry, who had 
knowledge of these activities to also do their best in combating them, because of the 
huge impact of the negative image of the country arising from the menace. "The country 
suffers tremendously because of the negative image that is created by few people, what 
we call in the United States, especially during an important period in our country, the 
silent majority. They do not speak out, they do not report about what they know about 
these kinds of things that are going on and demand that the judicial system, the law 
enforcement prosecute these kind of people where they do find them", he added. 

Much as the Internet technology appears to have been abused and enhanced the 
sophistication in crimes, McGee would not support the abolition of cyber cafes in the 
country, arguing that the advantages far surpassed the disadvantages. "I think that the 
benefits that people have in communicating on economical matters, with their loved 
ones, who may be in another city, who may be in another country, to be able to keep in 
touch with them, send pictures, the internet has been able to make great impact in 
fostering these and drawing people together. And many legitimate entities, who want to 
do business in many countries, they use the medium, which is saving people money to 
communicate, which is saving people money to be able to do business. It also brings 
up small medium sized companies, small entrepreneurs, who would never have the 
access to be able to grow and prosper, because they don’t just have the means. It is a 
great equaliser in many ways. 

And what we are talking about is a very small portion of what goes on through the 
Internet. It is getting a lot of attention. It is creating a lot of problems. Countries are finding 
ways to combat that. Each time they find a new way, the bad guys find another way to 
deal with it. But that does not mean that we should abandon it. If walked outside today, 
you would find all these things driving around in four wheels. They are causing a lot of 
problems. Should we do away with them, should we go back to horse and buggy? I 
don’t think so. We are moving forward and not backwards. It is impossible anyway." 

He admitted however that the phenomenon was not limited to the Nigeria alone, adding 
that a lot of the cases investigated had proven not to originate from Nigeria, adding that 
the problem remained that the image had stuck to the country. 

The US envoy also spoke on the need to curb the menace of piracy in the film industry 
in the country adding that recently, he had a meeting a very prominent Nigerian who was 
eager or to develop the industry, where the issue of piracy featured prominently. 

Here is the URL of  the piece for as long as it is good:
http://www.independentng.com/politics/ppsep020506.htm
***************************************

2 SEP 2005
From ThisDay, a Nigerian newspaper:

40,000 Passports Seized in Oluwole Raid
10,000 blank British Airways tickets too 
By Godwin Ifijeh and Eugene Agha

Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Sunday Ehindero, yesterday said over 
40,000 Nigerian Passports, including official ones, were recovered  during the recent 
raid on Oluwole,  a  notorious area in Lagos Island noted for document forgery  and 
counterfeiting. 

The IGP, who made the disclosure while briefing the press in Lagos  said 1,500 foreign 
passports, including those of Libya, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Congo, Guinea Bissau, 
Cameroon, Senegal, Switzer-land., the Gambia, South Africa, United States, Jamaica, 
Costa Rica and Ghana were recovered. Also recovered from the raid were about 50,000 
assorted foreign cheques and over 500 printing plates. 

Other seizures made, according to Ehindero, include over 500 computers, about 10, 000 
blank British Airways tickets, about 10, 000 United States Postal Money Order and blank 
certificates of occupancy. 

The IGP said 115 suspects were arrested. Seventy-seven of the suspects, he said, 
were later set free for lack of sufficient evidence to warrant their detention. 

Ehindero said the police,  the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and 
the State Security Services (SSS) combined to conduct the Oluwole raid aimed at 
dismantling the notorious criminal black spot, where all forms of stolen and forged 
documents were openly traded in Central Lagos. 

According to him, President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was concerned with the threat to 
security by the nefarious activities going on in the area had directed that a committee, 
comprising of the Police, the FCT Minister, SSS, Immigration and the EFCC clean up the 
area and other similar locations, where counterfeiting and forgery were prevalent in 
Lagos. 

While giving other identified areas in Lagos as Shomolu, Apapa, City Hall and Bristol 
Hotel, the IGP said these other areas were complementing, supporting and replicating 
the illegal activities going on in Oluwole area. 

He said the crack down on all such areas continues and that 38 other suspects were 
arrested in Apapa on Wednesday after a container loaded with fake import clearing 
documents, including Customs documents, seals and stamps was discovered outside 
the Apapa Seaport. 

He paraded all 76 suspects, including 17 ladies. He, however, indicted the Area 
Commander, Area 'A' Command of the Lagos State Police Command and the DPO, 
Ebute Ero Division in whose jurisdiction Oluwole falls. He expressed surprise that the 
officers behaved as if they were not aware of its existence   before now. 

He warned members of the public to desist from assisting the syndicate at Oluwole 
through patronage. He said anyone arrested in the area will be treated as an 
accomplice to criminal activities. 

According to him, patrons of forged documents were as culpable as their manufacturers 
and vendors. He pointed out that carrying  forged documents was a serious felony that 
carries 14-year jail term. [The remainder of the article deals with matters other than 419]

419 Coalition note:  Although this article does not mention 419 advance fee
fraud per se, of course forged documents etc. are of course part of the basic
infrastructure of many 419 operations, hence we have included this piece in
our News section.
************************************************

31 AUG 2005
From the Daily Independent, a Nigerian newspaper:

U.S. not impressed  with EFCC

By Sunny Igboanugo
Asst Editor, Politics

Going by the position of the United States on Tuesday, Abuja’s high regard for 
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for combating fraud appears 
like pouring water on the back of a tortoise.

Like the proverbial barber’s chair, the achievements claimed to have been made by the 
commission may be nothing more than all motion and no movement as America has 
said Nigeria must do a lot more to clean the tar the menace has splashed on its image 
over the years.

The position of the U.S. was conveyed at the Public Affairs Section (PAS) of its 
consulate in Lagos, where its envoy, Michael L. McGee, told journalists at the weekly 
press briefing that merely arresting people connected with such crimes is not enough 
proof of the country’s seriousness to combat the phenomenon. 

He said a situation where the EFCC has convicted only one person from the hundreds 
brought to trial out of several arrests made in 419 related cases points to a flaw in 
the system. 

His words: "The EFCC and I have talked about it. They are doing a lot of good job. 
But something is failing them in the entire process. I know that they have been working 
diligently with the limited resources and funds that they have to try and combat it. 
But they also need help."

"It is part of every citizen’s responsibility to contribute to this - by saying we 
don’t accept this. That, because of my identity as a Nigerian and my country and my 
nation, where I live and where I want my children to grow, this is not acceptable."

McGee said the image of the country would improve tremendously the moment high 
calibre individuals are convicted. 

"When you have hundreds of cases that were brought and you have thousands of 
people that were investigated and you have one conviction from the EFCC, what does 
that tell you? What does that make you think? I am not judging. I am just giving you 
the findings."

McGee, the Commercial Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, reeled out figures 
relating to 419. 

He said the U.S. secret service receives more than 30,000 fraud cases involving 
Nigerians every month, which has greatly impacted on the country’s image and 
prevented a lot of Nigerians from doing legitimate business. 

He explained: "I know legitimate business people here, hundreds and hundreds of them 
who say I would have a new line of products to sell. I wrote to XYZ Company in the U.S. 
or I sent them e-mail or I called them. As soon as they heard that I am from Nigeria, they 
broke off communication. They are legitimate people and I had to go on their behalf to 
say I know them."

McGee refused to be swayed by the allegation of the culpability of the U.S. and the 
international community in the menace by allowing their countries as safe havens for 
looters of Nigeria’s treasury - thereby impoverishing the citizens, who in turn rely 
on such crimes to survive.

He argued that just as the U.S. is accountable and responsible to its citizens, Nigeria 
should do the same.

Here is the URL of the piece for as long as it is good:
http://www.independentng.com/news/nnaug310505.htm
**********************************************

30 AUG 2005
From the Associated Press:

Fake Money Orders entering the U.S. from Canada and Nigeria 

Large number of counterfeit money orders are entering the United States from Canada 
and Nigeria, according to U.S. Postal Inspector Aaron Simon of Sioux Falls. [South Dakota]

He said $21 million in fake money orders have been seized in the United States in the 
past year. Almost 300 fake money orders have been found in South Dakota, he said. 

Some of them are being used to pay for goods from businesses, and some have been 
given to people involved in online dating to cash for their suitor in another country, 
Simon said. 

On real money orders, USPS is not visible on the security strip unless it is held up. A 
picture of Benjamin Franklin will appear in the watermark. 

If the money order is held down, these items will not appear. On a fake money order, 
USPS is legible when it is held down. And the watermark contains a picture of a man 
who does not look like Franklin. 
********************************************

27 AUG 2005
From the Punch, a Nigerian newspaper:

EFCC worried over visa lottery swindlers

Sesan Olufowobi 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said on Friday that it 
was worried about the activities of some Nigerians involved in fake visa 
lottery schemes. 

An EFCC source told our correspondent in Lagos that the agency 
discovered the scams through discreet investigations, adding that such 
was a source of embarrassment to the country. 

He said that at least five or six examples of the scams had come to 
EFCC’s notice, stating that it would readily cooperate with any nation’s 
security agencies which desired assistance in dealing with the 
problem. 

The EFCC source spoke in response to a red alert issued by the 
Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI) warning that some Nigerian 
swindlers had been using a fraudulent Spanish visa lottery scheme to 
dupe unsuspecting nationals of various countries, including the United 
States. 

The red alert, which was posted on FBI’s website, indicated that over 
$24 million was being lost yearly to the swindlers, adding that the fake 
scheme, which it termed "Nigeria Letter Scam," could open a new door 
to future identity theft. 

FBI said the swindlers usually operated by collecting the names and 
addresses of targets, all outside Spain, through the Internet. 

"Then you, the target, get a letter from the Spanish National Lottery 
claiming you’ve won about $730,000 in a special promotional lottery. An 
estimated six million letters are sent a year. The letters look legitimate, 
complete with official logos and contact information. They also include 
a form from the bank where the money is supposedly being held. You 
might even receive follow-up faxes and phone calls. 

Then the hook: all you have to do is pay Spanish taxes - between 0.5 
per cent and 2 per cent of the winnings - to get the money. Just fax your 
completed claim forms with personal and banking information and wire 
the money within a couple of days. If you take the bait, chances are 
you’ll be asked to cover other expenses, too," the warning said. 

FBI said it had pursued the swindlers relentlessly in collaboration with 
the Spanish National Police (SNP), disclosing that in July, Spanish 
security agents "launched a massive crackdown that resulted in 300 
arrests, 150 searches and the seizure of nearly 2,000 cell phones, 
hundreds of computers and fax machines, plenty of fake documents 
and $265,000 in cash." 

It concluded, "We were delighted to be a part of their investigation, 
working through our Madrid legal attache office and with our partners in the Federal 
Trade Commission and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Our 
task was to identify and interview possible U.S. victims by calling some 
800 U.S. phone numbers from lists provided by the SNP."
**************************************

12 AUG 2005
Here is a good piece on Check Clearing 419 and Employment
419 From the July-August 2005 AARP Bulletin:

Scam Alert...Wireless Bank Heist

By Sid Kirchheimer

They have high-powered names - Xian Energy, Delta Soft Labs, International Health Care, 
Future Tech, V-Tech Sendit Software - and they promise big rewards for little effort. But the only 
reward for their victims is a depleted bank account.

Identifying themselves as top firms based overseas, the "companies" recruit work-at-home 
representatives through e-mails and online job postings. They say that "due to the delays in 
clearing checks and money orders in Europe," they need "financial agents" to process 
payments for their U.S. orders.

It seemed the perfect job for Dick Hambrice, 67, a retired medical supplies salesman from 
Columbus, Ga. After responding to a posting on Monster.com, he was told that each week he’d 
receive checks for between $2,000 and $100,000 via FedEx. After depositing them in his own 
bank account, all he had to do was wire-transfer those funds to a foreign bank. When each 
check cleared, Hambrice would get a 5 percent commission.

"Since I live on Social Security, an additional $200 or $300 a week would really be helpful," says 
Hambrice. "Especially for something as simple as going to the bank."

Instead, he lost $4,500. The check Hambrice received and put into his account was counterfeit. 
So the money he transferred to a foreign account was in fact his own. "You’d think in these days, 
a bank would know immediately whether a check is good or not," Hambrice says. "Apparently, 
they don’t."

This type of check-cashing scheme generates hundreds of complaints each month to the 
Internet Crime Complaint Center, says FBI spokesman Paul Bresson, and is one of the most 
common Internet scams.

And one of the nastiest. The phony companies can further bleed recruits by using the account 
information provided on their wire transfers. Victims in certain cases could face federal 
counterfeiting and forgery charges for signing or processing bogus checks, says Bruce 
Hammerle of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

His advice: "Be very wary of 'work-at-home' offers, especially those with any foreign 
connection. Anytime you receive a check or money order and someone wants money wired 
back, figure it’s a scam."

The swindlers seem to change their corporate identities every few months. The e-mail that 
Delta Soft Labs sent to Diosdado Corrales, 57, of Toronto was identical to those sent to other 
job seekers by Atrium and Rilan Soft Labs—all professing to be Eastern Europe’s leading 
software developer, based in Russia. Initially, Corrales thought he was recruited because his 
résumé, posted on CareerBuilder.com’s website, indicates he’s fluent in Russian. "Now I feel 
used," he says, after losing $1,700 in two wire transfers.

Since being contacted by Scam Alert, CareerBuilder spokeswoman Jennifer Sullivan says 
postings for those firms have been removed. An alert for job seekers tells them: Never provide 
credit card or bank account information to recruiters, or perform any sort of monetary 
transaction. "You don’t give the combination if you don’t want the safe opened," Sullivan says.

Here is the URL for as long as it is good:
http://www.aarp.org/bulletin/consumer/wireless_bank_heist.html
************************************

6 AUG 2005
From the Associated Press:

Internet scammers keep working in Nigeria

Day in, day out, a strapping, amiable 24-year-old who calls himself Kele B. heads to an Internet 
cafe, hunkers down at a computer and casts his net upon the cyber-waters.

Blithely oblivious to signs on the walls and desks warning of the penalties for Internet fraud, he 
has sent out tens of thousands of e-mails telling recipients they have won about $6.4 million in a 
bogus British government ``Internet lottery.''

``Congratulation! You Are Our Lucky Winner!'' it says.

So far, Kele says, he has had only one response. But he claims it paid off handsomely. An 
American took the bait, he says, and coughed up ``fees'' and ``taxes'' of more than $5,000, 
never to hear from Kele again.

Festac Town, a district of Lagos where the scammers ply their schemes, has become notorious 
for ``419 scams,'' named for the section of the Nigerian penal code that outlaws them.

In Festac Town, an entire community of scammers overnights on the Internet. By day they flaunt 
their smart clothes and cars and hang around the Internet cafes, trading stories about 
successful cons and near misses, and hatching new plots.

Festac Town is where communication specialists operating underground sell foreign telephone 
lines over which a scammer can purport to be calling from any city in the world. Here lurk master 
forgers and purveyors of such software as ``e-mail extractors,'' which can harvest e-mail 
addresses by the million.

Now, however, a 3-year-old crackdown is yielding results, Nigerian authorities say.

Nuhu Ribadu, head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, says cash and assets 
worth more than $700 million were recovered from suspects between May 2003 and June 2004. 
More than 500 suspects have been arrested, more than 100 cases are before the courts and 
500 others are under investigation, he said.

The agency won its first big court victory in May when Mike Amadi was sentenced to 16 years in 
prison for setting up a Web site that offered juicy but phoney procurement contracts. Amadi 
cheekily posed as Ribadu himself and used the agency's name. He was caught by an 
undercover agent posing as an Italian businessman.

This month the biggest international scam of all - though not one involving the Internet - ended in 
court convictions. Amaka Anajemba was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison and ordered to 
return $25.5 million of the $242 million she helped to steal from a Brazilian bank.

The trial of four co-defendants is to start in September.

Why Nigeria? There are many theories. The nation of 130 million, Africa's most populous, is 
well educated, and English, the lingua franca of the scam industry, is the official language. 
Nigeria bursts with talent, from former NBA star Hakeem Olajuwon to Nobel literature laureate 
Wole Soyinka.

But with World Bank studies showing a quarter of urban college graduates are unemployed, 
crime offers tempting career opportunities - in drug dealing, immigrant-trafficking, oil-smuggling, 
and Internet fraud.

The scammers thrived during oil-rich Nigeria's 15 years of brutal and corrupt military rule, and 
democracy was restored only six years ago.

``We reached a point when law enforcement and regulatory agencies seemed nonexistent. But 
the stance of the present administration has started changing that,'' said Ribadu, the scam-
busting chief.

President Olusegun Obasanjo is winning U.S. praise for his crackdown. Interpol, the FBI and 
other Western law enforcement agencies have stepped in to help, says police spokesman 
Emmanuel Ighodalo, and Nigerian police have received equipment and Western training in 
combating Internet crime and money-laundering.

Experts say Nigerian scams continue to flood e-mail systems, though many are being blocked 
by spam filters that get smarter and more aggressive. America Online Inc. Nicholas Graham 
says Nigerian messages lack the telltale signs of other spam - such as embedded Web links - 
but its filters are able to be alert to suspect mail coming from a specific range of Internet 
addresses.

Also, the scams have a limited shelf life.

In the con that Internet users are probably most familiar with, the e-mailer poses as a corrupt 
official looking for help in smuggling a fortune to a foreign bank account. E-mail or fax recipients 
are told that if they provide their banking and personal details and deposit certain sums of 
money, they'll get a cut of the loot.

But there are other scams, like the fake lotteries.

Kele B., who won't give his surname, says he couldn't find work after finishing high school in 
2000 in the southeastern city of Owerri, so he drifted with friends to Lagos, where he tried his 
hand at boxing.

Then he discovered the Web.

Now he spends his mornings in Internet cafes on secondhand computers with aged screens, 
waiting ``to see if my trap caught something,'' he says.

Elekwa, a chubby-faced 28-year-old who also keeps his surname to himself, shows up in 
Festac Town driving a Lexus and telling how he was jobless for two years despite having a 
diploma in computer science.

His break came four years ago when the chief of a fraud gang saw him solve what seemed like 
``a complex computer problem'' at a business center in the southeastern city of Umuahia and 
lured him to Lagos.

He won't talk about his scams, only about their fruits: ``Now I have three cars, I have two houses 
and I'm not looking for a job anymore.'' 
************************************

21 JUL 2005
This in from Ultrascan in the Netherlands, reporting
the arrest of 310 West Africans, including many Nigerians,
mainly for for Lottery 419, in Malaga, Spain - in Dutch:

310 West-Afrikanen opgepakt bij grootscheepse loterijfraude

De Spaanse politie heeft naar aanleiding van een grootscheepse fraude 310 West-Afrikanen opgepakt. De West-Afrikanen 
worden ervan verdacht jaarlijks ongeveer 20.000 mensen te hebben opgelicht voor meer dan 100 miljoen euro door hen te 
vertellen dat ze de hoofdprijs van een loterij hadden gewonnen.

De meeste van de verdachten die worden vastgehouden in de zuidelijke provincie Malaga zijn Nigerianen, anderen zijn 
afkomstig uit Ghana. In totaal namen meer dan 400 politiemannen deel aan de huiszoekingen, die werden uitgevoerd op meer 
dan 170 adressen.

Meer dan zes miljoen brieven of e-mails

Minstens twee verdachten moesten voor verzorging naar het ziekenhuis, nadat ze in een poging om te vluchten uit het raam 
waren gesprongen.

Volgens de politie stuurden de verdachten jaarlijks meer dan zes miljoen brieven of e-mails naar mensen in Europa, de 
Verenigde Staten, Canada, Australië, Japan en Arabische landen. In die brieven stond dat de geadresseerden de hoofdprijs 
van een loterij hadden gewonnen. Aan hen werd gevraagd of ze geld wilden opsturen om de belastings- en documentskosten 
te betalen. De oplichters zouden in ongeveer 50 landen actief zijn geweest.

Vorig jaar rolde de Spaanse politie nog 31 Spaanse bendes op, 100 verdachten werden opgepakt. Begin dit jaar werden 30 
andere Nigerianen opgepakt op verdenking van verschillende soorten fraud
*************************************************

21 JUL 2005
Here is an English version of the above story from The Register
in the UK:

Biggest 419 bust in history
By Jan Libbenga

The FBI and Spanish police have arrested 310 people in Malaga, Spain in connection with a 
€100m bogus (email) lottery scam run by Nigerian gangs. It is the biggest 419 bust in history, 
and may result in drastic reductions of scam mails.

The operation, codenamed Nile, centered on a mob which operated from Southern Spain. No 
less than four hundred officers from the Spanish police, the FBI and the US Postal Service were 
involved with the investigation, which began in 2003. Officers raided 166 homes in places such 
as Malaga, Benalmádena, Mijas, Torremolinos and Marbella. Police seized € 218,000 in cash, 
2,000 mobile telephones, 327 computers and 165 fax machines.

Besides lottery emails, they also sent over 6 million 'classic' 419 scam mails, offering rewards 
for people who were willing to stash away money that had been taken out of Iraq by the family of 
the ex-dictator Saddam Hussein or money founds in the remains of the Twin Towers after the 
9/11 attacks.

The scam claimed over 20,000 victims in 45 countries including Britain, France, Germany, the 
US, Canada, Australia, Japan and a number of Arabic countries, officials said.

As police will continue searching for more clues - officials are still trying to determine where the 
funds have been deposited - the number of scam emails may drop considerably. Similar raids 
on premises in Amsterdam early 2004 saw a rapid migration of Nigerians to other countries.

Here is the URL for as long as it is good:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/21/scammers_nabbed/
**********************************************************

20 JUL 2005
From the Daily Independent, a Nigerian newspaper:

Anajemba: Obasanjo hails Ribadu, demands more convictions 

By Chesa Chesa, State House Correspondent, Abuja 

President Olusegun Obasanjo has commended the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), 
Nuhu Ribadu, for ensuring the successful conviction of Mrs Amaka Martina Anajemba, who was involved in the country’s 
biggest advance fee fraud case. 
 
Anajemba and four others were dragged to court by the EFCC for defrauding some Brazilians of about $242 Million, and was 
last week jailed two and half years for the crime by a Lagos High Court. 

In a commendation letter to Ribadu, the President said the conviction was the result of quality leadership of the EFCC boss, 
which showed in quality work and dedication to duty. He challenged the EFCC team not to rest on its oars but get more 
convictions. 

Obasanjo told the crime-buster that "the painstaking investigation and presentation of evidence before the Lagos High Court 
secured for you not just jail terms but the seizure by the court of all her (Anajemba’s) assets". 

He described the achievement as "evidence of quality work, dedication to duty, focused deployment of skills and quality 
leadership," adding, however, that "this victory should energise you to work harder and to attain greater heights and more 
conviction". 

Obasanjo noted that the EFCC had within a few years of its existence "made an indelible mark in the fight against corruption. 
Our goal is to continue with this fight in the interest of our present and future". 

He further pledged his administration’s "undiluted support” to the EFCC in the “determined efforts to rid the country of all forms 
of corruption".

419 Coalition note:  Other Nigerian newspapers, including ThisDay and 
Vanguard also covered this story.  419 Coalition is also glad of the 
conviction, of course, looks forward to the repatriation of the 419ed 
monies, and for more convictions and repatriations in the near future.
********************************

17 JUL 2005
From Reuters:

Nigeria jails woman, Amaka Anajemba, in $242 mln email fraud case 

A Nigerian court has sentenced a woman to two and half years in jail after she pleaded guilty to fraud charges in the country's 
biggest e-mail scam case, the anti-fraud agency said on Saturday. 

Amaka Anajemba, one of three suspects in a $242 million fraud involving a Brazilian bank, would return $48.5 million to the 
bank, hand over $5 million to the government and pay a fine of 2 million nair agency said. 

Scams have become so successful in Nigeria that anti-sleaze campaigners say swindling is one of the country's main foreign 
exchange earners after oil, natural gas and cocoa. 

Anajemba's sentencing by a Lagos High Court on Friday is the first major conviction since the Economic and Financial Crimes 
Commission (EFCC) was established in 2003 to crack down on Nigeria's thriving networks of email fraudsters. 

The agency said in a statement that the judgment was "a landmark achievement by EFCC in the fight against advance fee 
fraud, corruption and other related crimes." 

Typically fraudsters send out junk e-mails around the world promising recipients a share in a fortune in return for an advance 
fee. Those who pay never receive the promised windfall. 

Anajemba, whose late husband masterminded the swindling of the Sao Paolo-based Banco Noroeste S.A. between 1995 and 
1998, was charged along with Emmanuel Nwude and Nzeribe Okoli. 

The prosecution said the three accused obtained the $242 million by promising a member of the bank staff a commission for 
funding a non-existent contract to build an airport in Nigeria's capital Abuja. 

All three accused pleaded not guilty, but Anajemba later changed her mind to enter a guilty plea in order to receive a shorter 
senten was backdated )y 2004 when she was first taken in custody. The trial of the two others who 
maintained their not guilty pleas was adjourned to September. 

Ranked the world's second most corrupt country after Bangladesh by sleaze watchdog Transparency International, Nigeria 
has given new powers to the EFCC which is prosecuting about 200 fraud and corruption cases. 

The anti-fraud agency has arrested over 200 junk mail scam suspects since 2003. It says it has also confiscated property 
worth $200 million and secured 10 other convictions. ($1-132.70 Naira) 

Most Nigerian papers also covered this, including:

Thisday:    http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=22775

419 Coalition Comment:  Kudos to the EFCC Team, including Nuhu Ribadu, Ibrahim
Lamorde, Rotimii Jacobs, and all the many others who worked to get this conviction.
We re hoping, of course, for many other convictions to follow and for the repatriation
of the monies 419ed by those convicted of their crimes.
******************************************



11 JUL 2005
From The Citizen, Auburn New York, (edited):

Money scams abound on Web

By Louise Hoffman Broach / The Citizen

"My name is Engr Dantata Williams," the e-mail begins. "I am the chairman of a contract awarding committee for the past three 
years, with patrol Ivoire, which is a national oil firm.....the late military head of state asked me to prepare a voucher for 
$45,500,000 US......."

The unsolicited correspondence and dozens of similar e-mails endeavor to entice the recipients to assist the senders in 
getting money into the United States and offer a cut for the help. Williams purports to be from the Ivory Coast, but pleas for 
assistance to come from virtually every African country, the majority from Nigeria.

Williams' letter is a scam, according to local and federal law enforcement authorities. It is a variation of letters proliferating 
the Internet authored by the alleged wives and children of deceased dictators, lawyers left in charge of large sums of money 
by people with no next of kin, business officials who suddenly find themselves with access to bank accounts belonging to past 
clients, and even people on their deathbeds, wanting to atone for past wrongdoing so they can earn a place in heaven.

"They are all scams," said Michael Kaste, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Albany who works on 
Internet crime. "I am not aware of any of these paying anyone any money. They just don't."

Law enforcement agencies categorize the e-mails as Nigerian 419 scams. Most of them originate in that West African nation. 
They used to come through the mail, then by fax machine, and with the technology the Internet allows, they come most 
frequently over e-mails. Scammers buy lists of millions of addresses and send the letters. The majority of people who receive 
them recognize them for what they are, but there's a segment of the population who respond, get hooked in and bilked out of 
money, Kaste said.

Nigeria - The 419 Coalition Web site, has been monitoring the scams almost 10 years. Its coordinator, Charles A. Pascale, a 
Virginia security officer, estimates the scam has run since the 1980s and has cheated people out of billions.

 Auburn Police Deputy Chief Thomas Murphy said the department doesn't get a lot of reports about the letters, but when they 
do, they tell people not to respond and to delete them.

"It's been said many times, but if something sounds too good to be true, it is," Murphy said.

Dale Miskall is a supervisory special agent in charge of an FBI cybercrime squad in Birmingham, Ala. He's been working 
Nigerian scams for the Internet Fraud Complaint Center for years and has been in Nigeria several times to help officials in that 
country set up procedures to catch and prosecute the scammers.

Cooperation in that country is just beginning, although the scam letters have been around for decades. Nigeria is finally waking 
up to the fact that the fraud has become so pervasive that legitimate companies in that country are having trouble attracting 
overseas investors, law enforcement officials said.

In 2002, the Nigerian government created the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, according to its Web site, fight "the 
menace of these crimes." The commission has high-level support from the presidency, the Legislature and key security and 
law enforcement agencies in Nigeria.

Cayuga County Sheriff Rob Outhouse said a Weedsport firm fell for an electronic overseas fraud, but it wasn't a solicitation 
letter. Outhouse said the company received a large order for parts that originated from a Third World country. The credit card 
number given was valid, so the company filled the order. But shortly after, the card was reported stolen and the company was 
out the money, and the parts.

"They should have been suspicious," Outhouse said. "Why would someone in a Third World country be contacting someone 
in Weedsport?"

There are many variations to international Internet scams. Miskall said the biggest one is the repackaging scam where a 
bogus company will advertise on Monster.com for someone to receive packages from overseas and then mail them along to 
someone else. When the "employer" makes payment, it comes in a check for more than the amount owed. The check writer 
will ask that the "employee" write a check, or wire money back for the difference, even offering that person a chance to keep a 
little of the overage. After that occurs, it ultimately turns out the original check was bad.

A recent variation is a letter from so-called lottery officials in Spain or the Netherlands, notifying the recipient they have won 
millions, but there was a mix-up that must be cleared up first. Usually, it involves sending money.

While no one has reported falling for the scam in Cayuga County, it doesn't mean it hasn't happened.

People may be too embarrassed to admit they were victimized or in the case of the 419 letters, they don't want to admit they 
may have attempted a felony and got bilked instead.

Even the people who work for law enforcement aren't immune from receiving scam e-mail. Murphy said he regularly gets 419-
type letters. He can tell what they are from the subject line, and promptly deletes them.

Miskall, in spite of all of his work to expose Nigerian Internet scammers, also gets solicitation letters, including one from an 
agency purporting to be the Nigerian space program.

"Did you know the first person in space was a Nigerian, and that he's still up there?" Miskall said.

"They want money to help bring him home. He's in their space station and they shoot him up food and supplies once in a 
while."

Staff writer Louise Hoffman Broach can be reache