419 scam: "Denis Smith"<dsmithhouse@yahoo.de> Please read carefully and get back to me0

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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "million pounds" (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)
- ",000,000" (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)
- "00,000.00" (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)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "Denis Smith" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <dsmithhouse@hotmail.co.uk>
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 23:51:31 +0200
Subject: Please read carefully and get back to me0

Dear friend,
This email may sound astonishing to you but please, this is for real. I am a general auditor of a well known bank. There is this floating fund which is to the tune of fourteen Million Pounds (£14,000,000.00GBP) which has been with the bank since 2005 after the death of the true owner who bears the same last name as yours. Please view this links below for more details concerning unclaimed funds. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/uk-ireland/unclaimed-cash-for-social-projects-14879648.html
I just came across his file again when I was auditing all the credit account and I find out that nobody has ever come on behalf of the deceased as his next of kin to claim the funds and I have been monitoring this account since I discovered this information. In this case I have concluded to contact his relatives via the internet and to no avail, before I found your details in an internet web directory. I will instruct you on how to claim as the next of kin to the deceased, so that the funds could be transferred to your overseas A/C, if only you will co-operate with me and not to betray me at the end of this transaction. After the transaction is being successful, I will apply for a visa to meet with you in your country to collect my own share which is 50% for me and 50% for you. Please feel free to give your own opinion on this transaction modality if you wish.

I await your soonest response to this matter. Denis Smith

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam