419 scam: "Kenneth S Metuh"<Kenmetuh1@sify.com> Proposal

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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:
- "very confidential" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "offshore account" (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 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "Kenneth S Metuh" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <kenstrut7@aol.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 19:05:10 +0100
Subject: Proposal

Dear Sir,
May I apologize to you for any inconvenience caused if this mail does not meet your demands, though I do not intend to embarrass you by the content of this very mail.
I am Dr Kenneth Strut a Civil Engineer by profession and a director with the Federal Ministry of Mines and Power in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
As a result of an audit inquiry carried out in my ministry upon our ascension to office, we discovered that there were outstanding debts being owed contractors even though these contracts had been fully executed.
On a closer observation, my colleagues and I, found out that some of these debts represented some inflated contract costs which had been built up by our predecessors in office. We therefore decided in collarboration with them, to divert this difference for our personal use.
I was then mandated to source for a foreign partner whom will partner with us as a contractor with the federal government here to enable us file in for these claims.
It is on this premise that I decided to contact you, to seek your consent to partner this with us.
All necessary documents will be provided to ensure a smooth and legal transaction once we have your consent in this. I shall direct you on the process and procedure to ensure there are no mistakes when filing for payment.
I will need you to assist me with the procedure to ensure an efficient transaction as I cannot handle the entire process involved, since am still in the employ of the government here.
As soon as you indicate your consent, we shall be willing to discuss a percentage of the total sum involved as your commission for assisting us,while we shall provide you with an offshore account to transfer our part of the funds as agreed upon the completion of this transaction.
This transaction must be handled in a very confidential manner to protect my Societal standing here.
I shall brief you further upon my receipt of your consent or letter of intent.
Yours Faithfully,
Kenneth Strut Metuh

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam