419 scam: Western =?koi8-r?Q?Union=AE?= <mrsong-lile@live.com> WESTERN UNION BONANZA.

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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 sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
- "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. )
- ",500,000" (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)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
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.

Fraud email example:

From: Western =?koi8-r?Q?Union=AE?= <mrsong-lile@live.com>
Reply-To: western.wunion.union7@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2011 04:27:35 +0300
Subject: WESTERN UNION BONANZA.

Dear Sir/Madam.

As part of activities to mark the end of year (2010) and commence a NEW
2011,Western union is organizing a bonanza to disburse the total sum of
1,500,000$(One Million, Five hundred thousand Dollars)to you as the lucky
customer who has patronized the company within 2010.

The first confirmatory payment of 15,000$ is now available for pick

up in our office and to ascertain the existence of the funds, log on

to western union link below with details for confirmation:

http://www.westernunion.com/asp/orderStatus.asp?country=US

SENDER'S NAME:PETER BROWN

MTCN:3359024649

Once the confirmation is made, you are required to provide the

following to activate the payment immediately:

a, Full Names.
b, Residential Address
c, Telephone Number
d, Age
e, Occupation

As soon as your response is received with details, the necessary

steps and information would be provided to complete the pick up of

the first payment of 15,000$ and then transfer the balance total of

1,495,000$ as soon as possible.

Thanks,

Peter Brown.(Western Union Coordinator)

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam