419 scam: "Mr. Hill John." <mus_tstart2014@outlook.com> Good Morning My Dear Friend

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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 friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "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. )
- "you are required to pay " (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. )
- "vat (5%)" (VAT rate in the UK is 17.5%, check the math)
- "courier service" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
- "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
- "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- "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. )
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: "Mr. Hill John." <mus_tstart2014@outlook.com>
Reply-To: "Mr. Hill John." <hill.john78@yahoo.es>
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 08:09:10 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: Good Morning My Dear Friend

Â Good Morning My Dear Friend
Hill JohnHow are you doing today?.I am Sorry for late response, This is to acknowledge the receipt of theinstruction given by MRS. ROSE WILLIAMS to send your Certified Bank chequeof (US$850.000.00). She instructed that as soon as you contact me, Ishould forward the cheque to you through Courier Company.
I have been at the courier company to confirm modalities of registeringand dispatching your cheque to you. All modalities for delivery of thecheque to you I found & the prices is as follow: acclaimed couriercompanies such as DHL, UPS and FEDEX.
Below are the necessary findings I made from the courier companies for thedispatch of your cheque of US$850.000.00 Dollars to you. Here is the costof sending your cheque through any of these Express courier services andthe cost from here to your country. You are required to pay one of thenecessary courier charges to enable me send yourcashier cheque immediately to you.

Please these are the preferred channels of delivery I confirmed, make yourchoice and get back to me today.
----------------------------------------DHL(2working days)DHL | Globalwww.dhl.com/
Mailing $100.00Insurance $100.00Vat (5%) $75.00TOTAL $275.00-------------------------------------------------------------------------FedEx(1working days)FedEx | TrackMailing $100.00Insurance $35.00Vat (5%) $10.00TOTAL $145.00-----------------------------------------------------------------------UPS Shipping WorldwideUPS Global Homewww.ups.com/
Mailing $20.00Insurance $35.00Vat (5%) $10.00TOTAL: $65.00
It is pertinent to note that this payment is not negotiable so select anyof your affordable courier fee and send it through Western Union MoneyTransfer today with the name of my secretary as stated below:
Receiver's Name:::Kenneth EzechuReceiver's City::::CotonouReceiver's Country::::Benin RepublicTest Question::::Good?Answer: :::::DaySender's Name::::MTCN Number#:::
Be informed that your cheque will be delivered to your address within 72hrs of dispatch, as the courier companies I visited informed me. ThereforeI expect you to send the money today so that I will dispatch your chequetoday. Send the payment information to me as soon as you made the payment.On receipt of the delivery cost today, I will proceed immediately to thecourier company of your choice and send the cheque without delay andforward the tracking number to you.
I wait to receive the payment information today.
Best regards,Mr. Hill John.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam