419 scam: "REV.WALTER SMITH"<85.139.241.154@mail.com> PAYMENT INFORMATION OFFICE.

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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:
- "demurrage " (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. )
- "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. )
- "tax fee" (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. )
- "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
- "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
- "million 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 are advice to " (this email uses bad English)
- "courier service" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
- "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
- "waltersmith@yahoo.cn" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
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.

Fraud email example:

From: "REV.WALTER SMITH" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <waltersmith@yahoo.cn>
Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2012 07:47:26 -0700
Subject: PAYMENT INFORMATION OFFICE.

Good day!!!

CLAIM NOTIFICATION.

This is to notify you that your parcel is still in our possession, this
parcel contained an International Cashier Bank Draft/Cheque worth the sum
of $2 Million dollars only and it is ready for delivery to your door step.
Meanwhile, before the delivery or shipment will take place, you are advice
to send to us the following datas mention.

Fill this Form:

Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Postal Code:
Country:
And your contact phone number:

The above requested informations will enable us deliver your parcel
correctly without any mistake or delivering your parcel to a wrong
person.Furthermore, you might be asking yourself how comes this email,
cheque or draft, Anyway, your cheque was brought to this office by a
Lottery Fiduciary Agent Or Claim Agent, signifying that you are a rightful
winner to their Lottery Award selected randomly from 10 lucky email
addresses which your email address is one of the lucky email address.

FedEx courier service company mailing you as per your parcel that was
brought to this company to be delivered to you by lottery groups, along
the delivery process that brought a misunderstanding between you and the
lottery claim agent and in regards of their request as per their insurance
certificate cost and tax fee which happened to be the course of your
parcel being pending for the past months/one year.

Meanwhile we are hereby happy to inform you that the FedEx Company has
finalized everything with the icon insurance company of Nigeria and the
internal revenue office as the company has also listed 24 valuable
parcels to be intact in their office after the released of the parcels
from the icon insurance company and internal revenue office.

We are happy to inform you once again that your parcel that contains the
sum of $2 million dollars is among the 24 parcels listed which is now in
our office and also with your name as the receiver despite that we lost
your private residential addresss, which is an indication that you can
now re-send your residential address, telephone as stated above back to
the FedEx company where your parcel can be delivered to you without
hesitation with this e-mail (waltersmith@yahoo.cn)

Meanwhile remember that the sender of this parcel to you that the
fiduciary agent still owes this company the sum of $150 before incident
occurs, note that this company has spend out of their incomes in the
process by recovery back your parcels dear customer we once again
appreciate your patronage in our favor.

Without hesitations you are to pay for just the balance left by your
sender since we have lost his contact. via western union so that your
parcel can be delivered to your residential address before it accumulate a
demurrage after one week only, as you know your parcel is not just an
ordinary parcel but with a huge amount and I think you understand what I
mean by accumulating a demurrage? Which you will not allow to happen to
your recovery parcel that almost gone if not for the love that the good
God have for you by favoring you with his favor because it was God who did
it not by your power but by the spirit say the lord.

We assure you that your parcel will arrive at your country in two days
time and it will get to your door step the third day as soon as this
company receive the balance left by your sender and the tracking number
of your parcel will be sent to you via e-mail immediately so that you can
track it yourself to see your parcel coming on the way and you will also
know when it will arrive at your country because we operate in trust and
loyalty in your favor.

And also the FedEx Courier Service Company is hereby to inform all their
customers by eradicating all their communication with the scam mails that
are going all-over the world be careful with their e-mails so that your
parcel will not be in danger with their evil planes.

FedEx provides access to a growing global market place through a network
of supply chain, transportation, business and related information
Services.

PAYMENT INFORMATION OFFICE

RECIEVERS NAME------ JACOB UKASE
SENDERS NAME-------
SENDERS COUNTRY-----
RECIEVERS COUNTRY----ABUJA NIGERIA AFRICA.
TEXT QUESTION------------WHAT FOR?
TEXT ANSWER---------------.DELIVERY
AMOUNT TO BE PAID---------$150
MTCN NUMBER......................

Please you have to send the full payment information including the MTCN
Number for we to fully proceed on your delivery

FedEx is one of the world's great success stories, the start-up that
revolutionized the delivery of packages and information. In the past 30
years, we've grown up and grown into a diverse family of companies
FedEx that's bigger, stronger, better than ever.

WAITING TO READ YOUR E-MAIL.
YOURS AFFECTIONATLY.
MR WALTER SMITH

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam