419 scam: how a famous fraudster stole $242 million without leaving his couch (6 photos)

Meet Emmanuel Nwude. He spent 10 years scamming banks in France, England and Brazil. His most famous scam was selling a fake airport for $242 million!





Emmanuel Nwude in his heyday

Most of us have heard of the “Nigerian letters,” of course. This is a classic scam in which criminals send victims letters promising large sums of money in exchange for small down payments.

The scheme is based on the story of a wealthy man, often referred to as a "Nigerian prince" or high-ranking official, who needs help transferring money abroad.

For reference: Interpol calls such schemes "419 Scams". The number 419 is an article of the Nigerian Criminal Code that prescribes punishment for fraud.

What distinguishes Nwude from other scammers operating under the "419" scheme is, first of all, the unprecedented scale of fraud. If you are going to engage in such a craft, then set yourself a much bigger goal than swindling Apple gift cards :).

So, here's our story :)

The 419 Scam. The Beginning



Emmanuel Nwude

In order to steal the airport, Nwude needed three things:

First, choose a victim for the scam Second, contact him Third, get the funds and pretend to be at a construction site

Nwude chose Nelson Sakaguchi, the director of Brazil's Banco Noroeste, as his victim. Why him? It just so happened that this bank worked with the Union Bank of Nigeria, which was a real, legitimate bank in Nigeria. And Emmanuel Nwude had his own people there. They told him about Mr. Sakaguchi's weaknesses, the main one of which was greed.





It was difficult to find a photo of Nelson Sakaguchi...

And then one day Nelson Sakaguchi received a letter from a certain Mrs. Tafida Williams, who introduced herself as a senior employee of the Ministry of Aviation of the Federal Government of Nigeria. In this letter, "Mrs. Williams" said that the Ministry of Aviation of Nigeria was looking for investors to build a new airport in the capital of Nigeria, Abuja.

The letter also mentioned that if the deal was successful, Mr. Sakaguchi would receive a personal commission of $10 million.

The director of the Brazilian bank took the bait. Correspondence began between the bank and the "Nigerian Ministry of Aviation". As a result, the parties agreed to conduct the deal in London.

At the appointed time, a delegation from Banco Noroeste, headed by Director Sakaguchi, arrived in London to meet with the Director of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Paul Ogwuma, and representatives of the Nigerian Ministry of Aviation.



Is this the Director of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Paul Ogwuma? No, it was Emmanuel Nwude as Paul Ogwuma

The meeting was a success, the parties signed the contract, and the Nigerian side received $50 million in cash immediately after the deal. A few years later, the amount increased to $242 million, with 90% of the total amount paid in cash.

But have you guessed who Mr. "Paul Ogwuma" was at the meeting in London? Of course, Emmanuel Nwude and his gang of scammers. Everything, from the first fax to the last exchange of money, was fake.

Scam 419. Completion



Emmanuel Nwude in handcuffs during his arrest

The scam with the airport in Abuja lasted for six years – from 1998 to 2004. During this time, Emmanuel Nwude sent “reports” on the construction, each time receiving money to continue the construction :).

But in 2004, the Spanish bank Banco Santander offered to buy the contract from Banco Noroeste. They agreed. The usual due diligence began – a comprehensive legal check in such cases. And then it all came out.

It turns out that all these years Banco Noroeste was financing a "castle in the air". There was no airport in Abuja. Everything was only on paper. And paper, as we know, will tolerate anything.

Emmanuel Nwude did not know about the "sale of the airport" and lived peacefully in Abuja, preparing for the next tranche from the Brazilian bank. But instead, the police arrived.



Amaka Ajamba, aka "Mrs. Tafida Williams" and Emmanuel Nwude (right) during the trial

The investigation lasted for two years. Emmanuel Nwude was released and then arrested again. Dozens of investigators studied every aspect of the 419 scam performed by Emmanuel Nwude minute by minute. The investigators were amazed by the amazing level of skill of the swindler and his knowledge of psychology. He could "read" any person like an open book.

As a result, Emmanuel Nwude received 25 years in prison, but served only five of them. What happened to his accounts, which contained hundreds of millions of dollars, no one knows. But they say that 20 years were knocked off for a reason...

This is the story of the famous Nigerian swindler who sold a non-existent airport and led everyone by the nose for almost 10 years.