419 scam: "Dr. Igho Menah" <dr_menah@altavizsla.hu> Looking forward to your reply.

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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:

An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
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)
- "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "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)
- "confidential business" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal trying to scam you - arrests of online criminals are rare)
- "chambers" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
- "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
This email message is a next of kin scam.
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.
- dr.igho01@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Dr. Igho Menah" <dr_menah@altavizsla.hu>
Reply-To: dr.igho101@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2011 06:49:23 +0900 (KST)
Subject: Looking forward to your reply.

FROM THE DESK OF DR.IGHO MENAH,
BILL AND EXCHANGE MANAGER
BANK OF AFRICA.
OUAGADOUGOU,BURKINA FASO.

Confidential Business Proposal!!

Dear Friend,

I am Dr. Igho Menah The bill and exchange manager at the foreign remittance department of BANK OF AFRICA.

I am sorry to encroach into your privacy in this manner, I found your email listed in the Trade Centre Chambers of Commerce directory here in Burkina Faso, I find it pleasurable to offer you my partnership in business, I only pray at this time that your address is still valid. l discovered the sum of Fifteen million and five hundred thousand United States Dollars (USD15.5M) belonging to a deceased customer of this bank.

The fund has been lying in a suspense account without anybody coming to put claim over the money since the account owner late Mr Salla khatif from Lebanese, who was involved in a plane crash in September 2007. You can see the website link below. on bbc = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6997381.stm The said fund is now ready for transfer to a foreign account whose owner will be portrayed as the beneficiary and next of kin to the deceased customer of the bank.

Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release it unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines and laws but unfortunately we learnt that all his supposed next of kin or relation died alongside with him at the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim.

It is therefore upon this discovery that I decided to make this business proposal to you and release the money to you as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and I don't want this money to go into the bank treasury as unclaimed bill.

The banking law and guideline here stipulates that if such money remained unclaimed after five years, the money will be transferred into the bank treasury as unclaimed fund. The request of foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and a Burkinabe cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner.

I therefore solicit for your assistance to come forward as the next of kin.

I have agreed that 40% of this money will be for you as the beneficiary in respect of the provision of your Account and services rendered, 55% would be for me while 5% will be for expenses incurred during the cause of this transaction If the money is transferred to your Account from BANK OF AFRICA, I and my family in this transaction will proceed immediately to your country for our own share of the money.

I expect you to keep this business strictly confidential and secret as you may wish to know that I am Bank official. Be rest assured that this business is 100% risk free on both side and every arrangement to transfer this money to the Account you are going to provide have been concluded provided we maintain the confidentiality and secreceirity involved.

Contact me on my private email address dr.igho01@gmail.com I am looking forward for your prompt response.
Yours faithfully,
Dr. Igho Menah.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam