419 scam: Alain Bruno <al_bruno_a57@msn.com> Reply Pls!

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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:
- "huge sum of money" (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)
- "hundred thousand us 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)
- "you will be entitled to 30%" (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)
- "urgent assistance" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "top secret" (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)
This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: Alain Bruno <al_bruno_a57@msn.com>
Reply-To: ala_bruno@voila.fr
Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:30:55 +0000
Subject: Reply Pls!

Hello,
please kindly accept my apology for sending you this email without your consent. I am Mr. Al Bruno, the manager in charge of the auditing and accounting section of Bank of Africa (BOA) Ouagadougou Burkina-Faso, West Africa. I need your urgent assistance in transferring the sum of U.S $5.5M (Five million five hundred thousand US dollars) which belongs to one of our customers who died with his entire family in an auto crash.

During our investigation and auditing in our bank, my department came across the huge sum of money. Ever since then, the fund has been dormant in his account without any claim.
With proper arrangement, I want our bank to release these funds to you as the next of kin to our deceased customer, while I come over to your country immediately for the sharing of the fund after it has been confirmed in your provided bank account in you country.

I don't want this fund to be transferred to our bank treasury as an abandoned fund, so this is the reason why I contacted you so that our bank will release this fund to you as the next of kin to the deceased customer.
Please, I would like you to keep this proposal as a top secret and delete it if you are not interested, because I am still working with this bank.

This transaction is 100% risk free on both sides hence you will follow my instructions till the fund get to your account. On smooth conclusion of this transaction, you will be entitled to 30% of the total sum as gratification.
All other necessary information's following how the transaction will be carried out shall be sent to you once I hear from you.

I will be expecting to hear from you with some of your details like:
Your full name........ ...........
Your nationality..................
Age...............................
Sex...............................
Your Occupation...............
Private E-mail................
Your phone Number........

Yours faithfully,
Mr. Bruno.

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What can you do when you receive 419 spam