419 scam: western union <mrvanmary@cantv.net> Your winning file Number WUMT/SA/2012.

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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:
- "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
- "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. )
- "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
This email message is a fake lottery scam. Consider the following facts about real lotteries:
1. They don't notify winners by email.
2. You can't win without first buying a lottery ticket.
3. They don't randomly select email addresses to award prizes to.
4. They don't use free email accounts (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) to communicate with you.
5. They don't tell you to call a mobile phone number.
6. They don't tell you to keep your winnings secret.
7. They will never ask a winner to pay any fees to receive a prize!
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 mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
- +22968446032 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: western union <mrvanmary@cantv.net>
Reply-To: wester_u@wss-id.org
Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2012 01:21:19 +0800 (CST)
Subject: Your winning file Number WUMT/SA/2012.

FROM OFFICE OF THE WESTERN UNION MONEY
TRANSFER.
COTONOU
BENIN REPUBLIC/ADDRESS 455
AGBOKOU,ANKPA ROAD
OPPOSITE TUNDE MOTORS COTONOU.
WEB SITE.http://www.westernunion.com/

Your winning file Number
WUMT/SA/2012.
A DIVISION OF FINANCIAL SERVICE PROVIDER

Dear
Sir/Madam

We are making our 157th anniversary to the begining of the
year 2012,we rolled out over GBP£10.000.000.00(TEN MILLIONS POUNDS)for our 157th
anniversary draws.All participants were selected through computer ballot system
draw from 25,000.00 Company email address and 30,000.00 individual email address
from over 40 networks from Australlia,New Zealand,North America,South
America,Europe,all Assia and Africa as part of international promotion held in
Cotonou Benin Republic.

We officially announce to you that your
email
address has just won the sum of GBP £810.000.00 POUNDS( EIGHT HUNDRED
AND TEN THOUSANS POUNDS)to begin the verification process of your prize,You are
required to forward your contact details to our Transferring
manager.

The Claim Transfering Agent Contact Details as
Fellow:

Name:Mr.Steve
George
Email: wester_u@wss-id.org
Telephone:+229-6844-6032

You should
establish with redeeming transfer manager via email or telephone with the
partictulars presented bellow for immediate payment of your's,please remember to
quote your winning file number and your winning transferring identification code
in your correspondence to him.

Email him with your informations as listed
bellow:

Your Full Name
Your Country/City
Your
Address
Your Phone Number
Age/Sex
Your occupation
Your
identity
id

You will be contacted by Western Union Office in
the next 24hours as soon as you forwarded your required informations to him for
your transfer.

Save time send money earn reward!WesternUnion is service
people trust.

ANNIVERSARY DAY:YOUR WINNING TRANSFER IDENTIFICATION
CODE:wnmt/768.

Thank you for using western union!

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam