419 scam: BARRISTER DESTINY UGOCHI <barr.destiny24@btinternet.com> I APPRECIATE YOU DEAR,

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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.

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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)
- "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
- "barr." (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
- "abuja" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
This email message is a next of kin scam.
Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.

Fraud email example:

From: BARRISTER DESTINY UGOCHI <barr.destiny24@btinternet.com>
Reply-To: barristerdestinyugo@gmail.com
Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:00:41 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: I APPRECIATE YOU DEAR,

Dear Friend,

I am sending this email to you personally as a result of the very urgent mandate I have again received from the Bank and my sincere belief that you can handle this with me.

My name is Barrister Destiny Ugochi, I was a personal attorney to late Engr Harrison Frederick, a crude oil merchant with Shell Petroleum Development Company here in Nigeria.

Unfortunately, in June 2004, my client and his entire household were involved in a ghastly motor accident along Abuja Express Road which led to the loss of their lives before getting to the nearest hospital.

Since then, I have made several attempts both through the internet and their High Commission to locate his relatives but all to no avail. I was later made to understand by his former office that my late client had a fixed deposit account with a valued amount of US$7.5M with a reputable bank here in Nigeria which has since matured.

Accordingly, upon maturity of the deposit, a routine notification was sent to his contract employers (Shell Petroleum Development Company) by the bank and as his only known attorney, I was directed by Shell Petroleum Dev. Co. to comply with the bank's directive asking me to come up with the particulars of the next of kin of my late client to receive his money.

Since all efforts to reach any of his relatives had so far failed, I decided to seek your consent as a foreigner to have the money released to you as his next of kin to avoid the money from being confiscated by the government.

This is a deal I would like to handle with you for our mutual benefits. I already have everything worked out with my team of lawyers to ensure success.

I shall very humbly attach for your perusal, better understanding and trust, the statement of account as obtained from the bank and my personal Identification (Passport) as soon as I hear from you. Contact me for further details as quickly as possible if you are interested in dealing with me in this glorious venture.

Regards,

Barr. Destiny.

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What can you do when you receive 419 spam