419 scam: "WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER"<info@mail.com> COMPENSATION

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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:
- "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. )
- "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.
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.
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.
- westernpayunit_40@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <westernpayunit_40@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2012 07:05:21 +0100
Subject: COMPENSATION

How are you doing today?
I write to inform you that we have already sent you $10.000 US Dollars
through Western union as we have been given the mandate to transfer your
full benefited sum of $500,000.00USD starting from 14/10/2011 to the
28-2-2012 via our office here (Western Union) by the United nations in
conjunction with the Nigeria Government as a compensation to those who have
been victims of scam mails from Nigeria.
I called to give you the information through phone as internet hackers
were many but I cannot reach you yesterday even this morning. So, I
decided to email you the MTCN and sender name so that you can pick up this
$20.000 00 USD to enable us send another $20.000 00USD by tomorrow as you
know we will be sending you only $20.000 00USD per day.

The money is available for pick up but when track will show pickup and
cannot be cash due to security reasons, which was deposited for transfer to
you by one Mr. Victor Perez from United nations in conjunction with the
Nigeria Government as a compensation payment of all scam victim, the money
is available, for pick up by receiver (you) but you can not be pay the money
due to its restriction from our head office in UK, which was a security
measure because the money has been in the air for 18 days now and maybe in
danger, hence the MTCN has to be reactivated to enable you cash out the
money in any western union office in your area, the reactivation of the MTCN
will cost you a token of $300 US Dollars, once this is paid, our head office
will release the fund on hold to enable you cash it. To be sure of this is
real please log on to www.westernunion.com and click on track to check the> status of the money.

MTCN: 4646467964
Sender's Fist name: rosalia borja
Sender's Last Name:tumang
Question:When
Answer: Now
Amount: $20.000 00USD

With due respect please get back to us urgently after tracking the money
online so that we can provide you on how to send the $300 to us for the
reactivation of the MTCN.

Thanks
Best Regards
Harry Johnson.
Email: westernpayunit_40@hotmail.com

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam