419 scam: Mr Lawrence Donell <urgentoffice038@verizon.net> (no subject)

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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

Victims never receive this non-existent fortune but are tricked into sending their money to the criminals, who remain anonymous. They hide their real identity and location by using fake names and fake postal addresses as well as communicating via anonymous free email accounts and mobile phones.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "confidential business" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "remain blessed" (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
This email message is a next of kin scam.
This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
- lawdonell101@jmail.co.za (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: Mr Lawrence Donell <urgentoffice038@verizon.net>
Reply-To: lawdonell111@jmail.co.za
Date: Sat, 04 Oct 2008 22:36:25 -0500 (CDT)
Subject:

I wait for your kind response.
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
X-Originating-IP: [212.100.69.11]

<html><HEAD><LINK media=3Dall href=3D"/webmail/static/deg/css/wysiwyg-42302=
03003.css" type=3Dtext/css rel=3Dstylesheet>
<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2900.2180" name=3DGENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY>
 Dear Friend,
I Am Mr. Lawrence Donnell the Manager, Bills And Exchange at the Foreign=
Remittance Department in  a Bank.  Actually, I have a very urgen=
t & confidential Business Proposition for you & for our  overa=
l mutual interest.On the 6th of March 2001,our Customer, an American Nation=
al,late Douglas J.  Stone, an Oil Merchant / Contractor with the Feder=
al Governmet of Nigeria, deposited, a valued  amount of US$32Million i=
n my branch.Upon maturity, I sent a routine notification to his forwarded a=
ddress but got noreply. After a month we sent a reminder, & finally we =
discovered from his contract employers NNPC, that late Douglas J. Stone ,un=
til  his death six years ago in a ghastly terrorist attack to American=
Airline Flight 11, from Boston,Massachusetts, to Los Angeles,California,cr=
ashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center (WTC) with 86 people o=
n board. All occupants of the Aeroplane unfortunately lost their lives.
 Consequently,my proposal isthat i willl like you as a foreigner to s=
tand in as a Next of kin of late Douglas J.Stone . This is simple. All I re=
quire is your honest and co-operation to enable us see this deal through. I=
guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that w=
ill protect you from a breach of the law. I will want you to send to me on =
your return emais  the following information for the transfer in your =
favor.On further investigation, I found out that he did not leave a WILL an=
d  all attempts to trace his Next of kin were ruitless. I therefore ma=
de further investigation and discovered that late Douglas J. Stone , did no=
t declare any Next of kin in all his official documents.This sum US$32Milli=
on is still floating in the bank and the interest is being rolled over with=
the principal sum at the end of each year. No one  came forward to cl=
aim it. According to Nigeria Laws, at the expiration of 8years,the money wi=
ll revert to the Ownership of the Nigerian Government if nobody applies to =
claim the funds.
 .1. Your full names as the Beneficiary of the Fund. .2. Your cont=
act address .3. Your private phone and fax numbers,
 Let's consider that our ratio of sharing will be as stated Thus
.1. I as the riginator of the Fund will take 50% of the transferable =
.2.You as the Manager of the Fund will take 50% of the transferable &nbs=
p;Fund.
 Most importantly, CONFIDENTAILITY as what I saw as the life wire to =
the success of the transfer of this Fund must have to be emulated between y=
ou and me. You have to use this media to promise me that you will no in any=
way expose the content of this transaction to anybody be it your Friends, C=
olleagues and Co-Workers.I will also want you to send your reply to this em=
ail (<A href=3D"mailto:lawdonell101@jmail.co.za)as">lawdonell101@jmail.co.z=
a)as</A> soon as you get this mail to enable us discuss on the modalities a=
nd processes for success of this transaction. Thanks for your anticipated c=
ooperation and understanding.
 I wait for your kind response. Thanks And Remain blessed.
 Mr Lawrence Donell </BODY></html>

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