The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) issued an advisory regarding a new email scam that victimizes people by sending tempting and seemingly too good to be true offers such as employment or a way to earn huge amounts of money.
According to an article in the website of DFA, the Philippine Embassy in Abuja reported that a number of Filipinos have already been victimized by this scam that they call the “419 Scam.”
The report said, “The Nigerian-based syndicates’ modus operandi involves sending e-mails to unsuspecting victims promising employment in Nigeria, bank loans, lottery winnings or double-your-money schemes using Filipino names to victimize OFWs and other job applicants in the Philippines.”
For the email to sound convincing, it is typical of the sender to use the address of the Philippine Embassy in Nigeria.
Part of the report said, “The syndicate requires the recipient to remit money to a particular bank account in Nigeria, supposedly as payment for application fees, taxes, and other processing fees.”
According to the DFA, Filipinos who have been victimized narrated that the e-mail sender comes by the name of a certain Dr. Ruben S. Cruz. The said sender claims to be an employee of Philippine Embassy in Nigeria and demands USD 200 payment to the Federal Inland Revenue Services of Nigeria so the recipients will be given a tax certificate.
The DFA said, “The public is advised not to send any money or divulge personal information, particularly bank accounts or credit card numbers, if they received similar e-mails.”
The government agency advises anyone who will receive this kind of email to immediately forward and report it to the Cybercrimes Division of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Anti-Money Laundering Council of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
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I also received an e-mail that says there is a huge need of workers in UK under Royal Regent Hotel.In the beginning, no fees were mentioned but after I sent my information they asked me to pay 382 UK pounds for the VISA PIN code.Then when I checked the address where to send the money, I found out that their main office is in Nigeria.A UK work and the main office is in Nigeria?sounds confusing.So I asked POEA personally and I found out that it is a SCAM in the internet.Pls....pls...avoid negotiating with them. POEA officials told me that visas are applied personally here in the Philippines and not by the employers outside our country. - Aiya
I also received several times similar e-mails such as; inheritance claim for the next of kin from a supposedly deceased relative with bank deposits from Nigeria, a lottery winner, and the recent was payment entitlement for the supposed scam victims which included me as one. The most tempting is, the supposed payment will be made by govt. of Nigeria thru their Central Bank.
All of the above requires you to pay a certain amount for documentation and processing allegedly. I'm glad I've found out later thru research in the internet that these are all form of scam, and I had never been trapped from their bait. - Nestor Alayon
Please never, ever negotiate with Nigerian, if you dont know them personally and there is a money involve...'coz i 've been there for 7 years - Wilhem B. Santos
i got some emails since 2004 from that scammers from nigeria. says that i won million usd from lottery, and said that i should send a money for processing to get the money and etc. but I did not entertain it. i ignored them and block their email add. - Estrellita
I also received an e-mail that says there is a huge need of workers in UK under Royal Regent Hotel.In the beginning, no fees were mentioned but after I sent my information they asked me to pay 382 UK pounds for the VISA PIN code.Then when I checked the address where to send the money, I found out that their main office is in Nigeria.A UK work and the main office is in Nigeria?sounds confusing.So I asked POEA personally and I found out that it is a SCAM in the internet.Pls....pls...avoid negotiating with them. POEA officials told me that visas are applied personally here in the Philippines and not by the employers outside our country. - Aiya