419 scam: "Michael Briest"<michaelbriest@alice.it> RE: INVESTMENT CONSULTATION

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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:

This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "because it still remains the fastest medium of communication" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "i feel quite safe dealing with you in this important business" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "Michael Briest" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <michaelbriest@luckymail.com>
Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 07:47:02 -0700
Subject: RE: INVESTMENT CONSULTATION

The Desk of,
Mr. Michael Briest,
Portfolio Manager,
UBS Financial services, UK.
+44-(0)7005-946-983.

I feel quite safe dealing with you in this important business. Though, this medium (Internet) has been greatly abused, I choose to reach you through it because it still remains the fastest medium of communication. Do accept my sincere apologies if my mail does not meet your personal ethics.

I knew that this mail will come to you as a surprise, but please do not be discouraged with my proposal; it was due to how things are moving with me so I decided to write to you when I saw your contact information in (www.naukri.com)

However, this correspondence is unofficial and private, and it should be treated as such. Having carefully thought of a confidant that will assist me in the transaction, I have deemed it pertinent to contact you directly for a prospective business deal in the tune of GBP 34.3 million. I am a Portfolio Manager with UBS financial services Inc. and I am ready and willing to work this deal out with your sincere assistance and cooperation. It will be unwise to jeopardize the success of this transaction at this point by releasing the details as I cannot confirm your exact stand till I receive your response to this email. I will give you the full details of the transaction and how to go about it as soon as I confirm your positive response. Honesty, confidentiality and effective communication is highly needed to ensure prompt conclusion of this deal as this is risk-free and profitable.

Yours truly,
Michael Briest

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam