419 scam: <wendy@wendy.com> Dear Partner,

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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)
- ",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: <wendy@wendy.com>
Reply-To: <mailwendy_clark@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Sun, 4 Apr 2010 20:23:14 +0700
Subject: Dear Partner,

Dear Sir/madam,

I introduce myself as Wendy Clark a business lawyer here in Thailand.
Recently one of my clients has a situation that has developed, which I am now attempting to resolve by obtaining an investor.

My client has the amount of approximately US$11,000,000.00 in his bank account and it is locked in a non-cashable 5 year term deposit. At this time, the funds are in the fourth year of the term deposit and my client would like to liquidate this asset prior to the expiration date.

He is currently in the process of purchasing a Manufacturing Plant and the closing date for the transaction is quickly approaching. In order to complete the deposit for the business, he has to liquidate whatever assets that he can.

He is willing to take a 20% loss on his term deposit, if an investor
agrees to assume ownership of the term deposit by purchasing it now
and cashing him out.

He is willing to take this loss based on my suggestion, because he
will lose a larger deposit that he already has in place if he does not close on the business purchase.

If you are interested in this offer kindly contact my office so that
you can receive all details including the disclosure of the bank where the term deposit is currently being held. Be informed that all
verifiable documentation and bank contact information is available to
you, if you express a serious interest.

Finally, note that my client is offering me a finder’s fee for
locating an investor and that there would be no legal fees payable by
you.

I hope to hear from you today.
Yours truly,
Wendy Clark

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam