419 scam: "Barrister Justin Miller"<noreply@info.org> Dear Beneficiary

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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:
- "western union" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "mtcn" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "money transfer control number" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
- "abuja" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
- +2348037775167 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "Barrister Justin Miller" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <justinmiller365@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 2009 03:02:45 -0700
Subject: Dear Beneficiary

Attn: Beneficiary,

I am Barrister J. Miller and a human right activist in Nigeria and I am pleased to inform you again for the last time that my petition to the government has been granted and your benefit as compensation which is part of your Grant/Lottery winnings of $250,000.00 that has been illegally diverted into the country has been approved. So, you will be receiving $10,000.00 daily until the total amount is remitted successfully. Please, visit www.westernunion.com and click TRACKING . Then, enter the following details on the displayed box fields and click CHECK STATUS to track your money online with;

Sender First Name: mark
Sender Last Name: sanders
Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN): 6219476666

This money will remain on hold and you cannot pick it up till you have paid the transfer charges of $180 since the law does not permit anyone to temper with your winnings since your benefit is under restriction from external person. You are to send the payment of $180 via western union money transfer immediately with the details of the western union agent in Abuja with his Receiver's name: James Okoh, Address: New House Plaza, Abuja, Nigeria. And you are to reply with the payment details as it appears on the western union payment slip. I will avail you the full details of the sender and the money will be made fit for you to pick up once I have confirmed your payment.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: If your payment for the transfer charges is not received after three days there would be a money back withdrawal already sent to you for security reasons.

Yours in Service,

Justin Miller.
+234-(803)-77 751 67

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam