419 scam: "Ashman Duke" <mr.ashmanduke@projectdirectoroffice.biz> Your urgnet reply is highly needed

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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:
- "hundred thousand united states 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)
- "nigeria national petroleum corporation" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
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.
- mr.ashmanduke@hotmail.com (Hotmail; can be used from anywhere worldwide)

Fraud email example:

From: "Ashman Duke" <mr.ashmanduke@projectdirectoroffice.biz>
Reply-To: ashmanduke@live.com
Date: Sat, 01 May 2010 00:13:07 +0000
Subject: Your urgnet reply is highly needed

Attn: Please,

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Federal Ministry of Finance has approved the balance sum of US$19.6M (Nineteen Million Six Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) being balance payment in favor to Late Engineer Stephen McMullan from Jakarta Indonesia who died for the past years ago in Tsunami tragedy in his country Indonesia.

Engineer Stephen McMullan is a Petrochemical Engineer by profession, a contractor with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation; he was awarded a contract for supply of Oil Pipe Line, Construction and Maintenance of 395 Million (LPG) Gas Plant in Nigeria Refinery in the year 2001 at the cost of US$58M. He successfully completed executing of the contract and waiting for his balance payment from the Federal Government of Nigeria before his untimely death occurred in Indonesia. Meanwhile, he has been already paid part of his fund US$38.4M and to balance US$19.6M.

I am the director foreign project payment , before the late Engineerâ€™s untimely death, I have been assisting him to chase for his payment approval of his contract fund from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and Federal Ministry of Finance. It is unfortunate that the two ministries have now approved his contract payment while he is not alive to receive the fund. I have been in constant contact with an attorney to trace any of his family or relative for the claim of the fund, our effort has been unsuccessful. More worrisome is that the Federal Government will cancel and return back the fund into federal treasury account on first week of January 2011 before handing over to a new elected democratic government if none of his family or relative appears for claim of the fund.

I need assistance of a trustworthy person who can stand as the next of kin to the late deceased; I am ready to share the total fund with you by 50% for you and 50% for me after the transaction is done. I have all the information to back you up for the claim. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch-free, risk free so you should not entertain any atom of fear as all required arrangements have been made.

Yours truly,

Dr. Ashman Duke
Director foreign project payment
E-mail Address: mr.ashmanduke@hotmail.com

Anti-fraud resources:

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