FBI warns about bogus funds e-mails

BALTIMORE (WMAR) - The Baltimore FBI office has received a large number of phone calls concerning e-mails that are supposedly from the FBI Director, the Special Agent in Charge or other top Bureau officials that aren't really from them.

These e-mails claim that you are the "rightful beneficiary" of large sums of money wired from the Central Bank of Nigeria but intercepted by the FBI and that you can release the funds by obtaining your "Diplomatic Immunity Seal of Transfer" through the Baltimore FBI office.

The e-mails also threat legal action against the recipient, including arrest, if you do not comply.

These e-mails are not from the FBI and are entirely fraudulent.

FBI officials ask that you don not respond to the e-mails, but contact them instead. Officials ask you report this scam to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, by clicking here .

Here is an example of one of the fake e-mails, note the many grammatical errors:

ATTENTION BENEFICIARY:

This is to officially inform you that it has come to our notice; the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) that the sum of $8.3 Million U.S Dollars is here in the United State of America in your name wired to you from the Central Bank of Nigeria but was intercepted by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in Baltimore (Maryland) U.S.A. That is why we have decided to contact you directly to acquire the proper verifications and proof from you to show that you are the rightful owner of the fund, because the above mentioned amount is a huge amount of money, we want to make sure that money you are about to receive is legal and we need to verify that you are not involved in any terrorist movement and money laundry.

It has already been confirmed in your name, your funds and all other legal documents are right now in our custody in WASHINGTON D.C UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, waiting to be released to you, we have verified and Investigated that you are the rightful beneficiary to claim the funds, all we need from you is verification and proof by providing to this office the Hard Copy of your Diplomatic Immunity Seal of Transfer (DIST) due to the huge amount of money.

As a matter of national security, we are to serve and to protect the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The only advice we can give to you as at this time is to provide the required document so that your funds will be release to you, this funds are rightfully yours. If you do not have this documents in your possession, which I don’t think you do not have, You can obtain it from the FBI Special Agent in Charge in Baltimore (Maryland) here in the United States, using the following information:

Richard A. McFeely
FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE
INVESTIGATIONS DEPARTMENT
BALTIMORE (MARYLAND) U.S.A
E-mail: investigationsunit@usa.com
PHONE: 410-265-8080 (Voice)
410-277-6677 (Fax)