Updated Nigerian scammers have launched a fake London Metropolitan Police website, which includes a fake anti-terrorist hotline number.

According to anti-advance fee fraud organisation Ultrascan Advanced Global Investigations, the scam refers victims to an "official" website that sells so-called "anti-terrorist certificates" which are needed to secure payments from abroad. In the past, fraudulent Anti-Terrorist Stop Order letters were purportedly issued by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

The domain name for the new fake site, which looks strikingly similar to the Met's, was registered with Domainpeople Inc last week.

"We are seeking to have the site closed down, and have made contact with the Internet Service Provider," a spokesperson for the Met told The Register, "The site is hosted in Australia so we have also reported it to the High Tech Crime Unit in Australia for investigation."

Last year, Nigerian scammers launched fake websites for Interpol, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the US Secret Service, not to mention numerous banks. Nigerian 419ers operating from Amsterdam and Rotterdam even created copies of the websites of express transportation company DHL and Lufthansa Cargo to lure victims into paying transportation costs for used motorbikes and cars that were never delivered.

Some of these sites have become the focus of regular flash mobs by Artists Against 419. ®