419 scam: Patrick Shanka <patshanka@live.fr> Hi

joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet

Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days

Home

About Us

Spam

419/Nigeria

Fraud

Contact

"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:

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:
- "hundred thousand us 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)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
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.
- patrick_tg@hotmail.fr (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: Patrick Shanka <patshanka@live.fr>
Reply-To: pashanka@live.fr
Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2014 16:19:01 +0000
Subject: Hi

*Mr.Patrick.M Shanka. Finance/Contract Approval Department West African
Mines & Industry (WAMI) Lome-Togo Republic. Email: patrick_tg@hotmail.fr
<patrick_tg@hotmail.fr> *

Attention: My Dear,

I am Mr.Patrick.M Shanka, and works with West African Mines & Industry
(WAMI), and a member of the Contract Tenders Board (CTB) of the above
corporation. I came across your contact at the Togo Chamber of Commerce and
Industry in my search for a reliable individual/company who can handle a
strictly confidential transaction, which involves the transfer of a sum of
money to a foreign account. The amount of money involved is *US$18.500.000.00
(EIGHTEEN MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND US DOLLARS) only. *

This money was extracted from various contracts awarded by this
corporation, as a result of Over-Invoice masterminded by the concerned
officials involved, this has been drafted to represent the final payment
for a contract that has been executed to this corporation some years back.
The money is now floating in the suspense account of the Togo Reserve Bank
awaiting claim by any foreign partner with status we now want you to
resume.

Already, the funds has been shifted to a Security Finance Company for
safety reasons. Your full information will be used to establish an
authentic Contract file with a contract award certification and documents
obtainable here to enhance a complete clearance here before the release and
transfer of the funds to any designated bank account that would be given by
you.

If you are interested and can handle it with me, reply and let me have your
telephone number and full names immediately for further details. But if you
are not interested, do not bother to respond. Please treat this information
as confidential and reply to this

Email: patrick_tg@hotmail.fr

Sincerely yours,

Mr.Patrick.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam