419 scam: "Western Union Transfer" <info@mail.com> Wire Transfer.

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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:
- "activation 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. )
- "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. )
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
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: "Western Union Transfer" <info@mail.com>
Reply-To: wutransferdept@qq.com
Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 22:33:09 +0100
Subject: Wire Transfer.

I write to inform you that we have already sent you $5000 from
the total sum of $800,000 deposited by Allen Large (Sender)since
last week as a donation from their Lottery here in canada.
For more info on the donation, please visit
(http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/15795402)

The money is available and ready for pick up by receiver(you) but
when you track it, it will display ERROR due to the fact that it has
been deactivated from our head office for security reasons because it
has overstayed it's limit on air as we have been trying to reach you
since last week but could not reach you. Therefore you can not cash it
due to its restriction from our head office, which was a security
measure because of internet hackers. Hence the MTCN has to be activated
to enable you start cashing your money in any western union office in
your country. The reactivation of the MTCN will cost you a refundable
fee of $210. Once this is paid and confirmed, the MTCN will be activated
immediately. To confirm this, open this link below
(https://wumt.westernunion.com/asp/orderStatus.asp?country=OM)
Enter the below details accordingly to check the transfer status.

M.T.C.N: 0691711481
Sender's Fist name: Allen
Sender's Last Name: Large
Daily Installment: $5000.00USD
Total Amount To Receive: $800,000USD

With due respect, please get back to us urgently after checking the fund
transfer status by confirming the below details so i can instruct you on
how to send the $210 tous for the reactivation of the MTCN and release of
your fund.

Full Name:
Current Personal Phone Number:
Country Of Residence:
Ready To Pay The Activation Fee? Indicate Yes or No:

Thanks
Best Regards
Mr.Phoenix Mcferrin.(Transfer Officer)
Canada Western Union Regional Head Office

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam