419 scam: "Gerald Whitley"<gerald.whitley10@sify.com> GREETINGS

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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.
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:
- "million dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal trying to scam you - arrests of online criminals are rare)
- "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
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.
- gerald.whitley1@yahoo.com.hk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Gerald Whitley" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <gerald.whitley1@yahoo.com.hk>
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 2009 06:46:46 -0700
Subject: GREETINGS

Mr. Gerald Wharfe Whitley
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT.
FOREIGN REMITTANCE DEPT.
BASEL FINANCIAL TRUST
812 LA FOSSE,ST MARTIN GUERNSEY,
CHANNEL ISLANDS

With great pleasure I am writing this proposal on behalf of my partners.I got your information through my personal search on the internet. Hence I have decided to seek your cooperation,due to the sensitivity of this transaction and my commitment as a financial agent. I am Mr. Gerald Wharfe Bills and Exchange under foreign remittance department of Basel Financial Trust Bank Channel Islands. There is an account opened in this Bank in 1990 and since 2000 nobody has operated on this account again.
After going through some old files in the records, I Discovered that if I do not remit this money out urgently it would be forfeited for nothing.The owner of this account is DR. A.Hebru ( Nasim Saleh), a foreigner, Geologist by profession and he died since 1999. In an air crash along with his wife on 31st October 1999 in an Egyptian airline 990 with other passengers on board. No other person know about this account or anything concerning it, the account has no other beneficiary and my investigation proved To me as well that his company does not know anything about his account and the amount involved is (US$50)FIFTY Million Dollars.

I am only contacting you as a foreigner because this money cannot be approved to a local Bank here, but can only be approved to any foreign account because the money is in US Dollars and the former owner of the account is DR. Abu Hebru is a foreigner too. Our constraint is to be able to source an honest and trustworthy individual,to whom we can remit these funds and act as trustee pending our visit, since our period of disengagement from our service is near.

I am presently affected by the financisl service code of conduct laws that prohibits officials from operating private foreign accounts.You will be given 20% of the total sum,while 70% will be for me and 10% for taxes and other miscellaneous expenses. This transaction is 100% risk free provided you treat it with utmost secrecy and confidentiality. Furthermore, your area of specialization is not a hindrance to the successful execution of this via my personal e-mail address At gerald.whitley1@yahoo.com.hk
Thank you and God Bless,
My sincere Regards
Gerald Whitley.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam