419 scam: "Barrister Melvin Casey(Esq.)" <whuw49@gmail.com> Urgent & Important

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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:
- "here in london united kingdom" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "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)
- ",000,000" (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)
- "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)
- "is highly confidential" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "u.k " (this email uses bad English)
- "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
- "chambers" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
This email message is a next of kin scam.
Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.

Fraud email example:

From: "Barrister Melvin Casey(Esq.)" <whuw49@gmail.com>
Reply-To: benn225@voila.fr
Date: Wed, 2 Oct 2013 08:42:44 -0700
Subject: Urgent & Important

BARRISTER MELVIN CASEY'S LAW CHAMBERS
LEGAL PRACTITIONERS AND PRIVATE LAWYER
111 CRAVEN HILL GARDEN
LONDON, W1F 8GJ
UNITED KINGDOM

LATE MR. RONALD STEWART'S PHILANTHROPIC FUND

Attn: Sir/Ma,

My name is Barrister Melvin Casey; I am a native of England, and
president in the Chambers Melvin Casey Law Chambers here in London
United Kingdom. I am a legal practitioner, called to the U.K Bar in
1986. I used to be the personal Attorney to late Mr. Ronald Stewart.

Mr. Ronald Stewart was a great philanthropist before death; before he
died, he made a philanthropic will of Eight Million Dollars
(US$8,000,000.00) which was meant to be donated to charity
organizations in Africa to support African children living with
HIV/AIDS.

We conducted an electronic email random draw in our chambers today,
and your email address was picked as the beneficiary to this
philanthropic fund of US$8million.

It is our great desire to claim this fund so that it can be used for
the purpose for which it is meant, because the bank where the money is
currently deposited has instructed that we produce the beneficiary of
this fund within 14 working days else the money will be confiscated to
the Government's treasury as unclaimed funds.

You have to get back to me immediately so that we can begin the
process of transferring the fund into any of your designated bank
accounts. As soon as I receive your reply message I shall give you
further information on the process.

With your full co-operation, this transaction shall be concluded
within 7 days, and after the funds have been transferred into your
account, you shall keep 30% of the money ($2.4m) to yourself as the
beneficiary, donate 30% to any Charity Organization of your choice,
while the balance of 40% comes to me as the attorney in this
transaction.

Also, this transaction is highly confidential and should remain as
such until the funds must have been transferred into your account, so
do not discuss this transaction with ANYBODY.

I wait to hear back from you immediately, so that I can give you all
the necessary information needed to proceed, and don't forget to
include your name, location and phone numbers in your response.

Regards,

Barrister Melvin Casey(Esq.)
Copyright ? 2013 Melvin Casey Law Chambers, all rights reserved.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam