419 scam: "Graham Jones"<adey79@yahoo.com> SEEKING YOUR COOPERATION

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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:

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:
- "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)
- "with absolute secrecy" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
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.
- grahamjones68@hotmail.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Graham Jones" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <grahamjones68@hotmail.co.uk>
Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2012 04:03:30 -0500
Subject: SEEKING YOUR COOPERATION

Dear, Sir/Madam

I apologize if the contents of this mail are contrary to your moral ethics. But please treat with absolute secrecy and personal.
I am an employee of a commercial Bank here in the United Kingdom and an Account Officer to a deceased customer , who is a National of your country.

We lost this customer and his family in an auto crash here in England some years back and his account valued at £10,800,000.00 (Ten Million, Eight Hundred Thousand Pounds) with us has been dormant and unclaimed due to unavailability of a next of kin / relatives to claim his estate, since his son whom he used as his next of kin died in the same auto crash with him.

In accordance with the Es-cheat laws of England, the Board Of Directors of the Bank met a forth night ago and resolved to turn the estate of the deceased over to the Government having waited for too long without the deceased relatives/next of kin surfacing, and if this is done, invariably the funds will end up becoming Government property too, so it is as a result of this that I am moved to contact you considering the fact that a known relative of him have not been Located and since you bear the same last name.

In view of this, I am seeking for your co-operation and understanding to stand as the deceased next of kin to enable us claim the inheritance before the time period given by the Bank elapse.

Hence, If this proposal is OK by you and you do not wish to take undue advantage of the trust I hope to bestow on you. Then kindly get back to me immediately, strictly via my private email address only: grahamjones68@hotmail.co.uk write to enable me enlighten you on how we are to proceed.

I will not contact any person or Company until I hear from you, so as to enable me decide on what to do next. Be rest assured that it is a risk free project and the proceeds will be shared 50% each once the funds are repatriated into your account either there in the Country Or elsewhere.

I wait for your prompt response.
Regards,
Graham Jones.
NB: PLEASE NOTE THAT IT DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU ARE NOT RELATED TO MY LATE CUSTOMER, THE FUND WILL STILL BE PAID TO YOU, SINCE I AM PRESENTING YOU AS HIS NEXT OF KIN, BASED ON THE FACT THAT I WAS HIS PERSONAL ACCOUNT OFFICER, WHOEVER I PRESENT WILL BE PAID.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam