Mr. Charles Nqakula - African Union Anti-Fraud Unit

The e-mail here is just one type of the thousands of scam e-mail variants sent out each day by 419 scammers. If you've received an e-mail even remotely similar to the one on this page or if you have arrived at this page via an internet search resulting from an e-mail that you received, I can 100% guarantee that YOU HAVE RECEIVED A SCAM E-MAIL!

This is an internet scam! Do NOT send these scammers money for any reason.

[ BEGIN SCAM E-MAIL ]

From:     African union anti fraud <africanunionantifraud1@goniec.com>
Reply-To:     African union anti fraud <africanunionantifraud1@goniec.com>
Subject:     African union Anti-Fraud (Your Refund Cheque)
Date:     Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:45:42 +0100 (16:45 EDT)

Attention,
                                    To whom it may concern

This is from the African Union (AU) Anti-fraud team in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) in regards to the extensive raid (arrests) on Internet scammers. Due to the high rate of complain we have been receiving from United Nations (UN) on the level of Scam artists/fraudsters with African nationality. All the Internet Service Providers had noticed the increased email traffic originating from African to other continents.
In this raid, four hundred and six (406) scammers were arrested so far and the raid is still on. We have recovered the total sum of US$2.2 Billion from them from both cash and assets confirmed to have come from their victims. As we have found hundreds of thousands of email addresses of victims from their address books. It is at this juncture that we are contacting you.
The African Union (AU) with the United Nation (UN) are making refunds of US$350,000.00 each to victims among whom his/her email address was listed on the scammer's address books.
Confirm through this; email (africanunionantifraud@f-mail.net) if you are the true possessor of this email, and provide us with the following information for your refund.
Your Names:
Sex:
Age:
Nationality:
Tel number:
Email address: (re-confirm)
Upon receipt of your reply and confirmation of the information, Your refund check will be signed.
Mr. Charles Nqakula
(Safety & Security Minister)
African Union Anti-Fraud Unit.

[ END SCAM E-MAIL ]

It's important to note that any real people or legitimate organizations mentioned in these scam e-mails have absolutely no connection with this scam!

The scammers never use their real names.
They frequently take on the identity of real people to help them convince you that they are genuine.
Whatever these scammers tell you, DON'T believe a word of it!!!

This is just a small sampling of the many hundreds of advance fee fraud e-mails received each day here at 419 BAITER headquarters.

There are many different types of 419 scam (examples) but they all promise you something (fortune, job with salary/commision, low-interest loan, lottery prize, cheap gold dust/diamonds, work visa, etc.) in return for a small 'fee' or some kind of remittance. Of course, there is no fortune, no job, no loan, no prize to be had. It's just a ploy to get you to willingly send them money.