419 scam: MR JOHN COSTA <sdhssfffhhhhh@yahoo.pt> Dear Customer,

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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:
- "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. )
- "we advice you" (this email uses bad English)
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.
This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
- +229 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: MR JOHN COSTA <sdhssfffhhhhh@yahoo.pt>
Reply-To: MR JOHN COSTA <westerunion814@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2015 17:47:49 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: Dear Customer,

Â
Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Dear Customer,

Thank you for your patronage and for using western UnionÂ
Money Transfer to send money, we are so happy to have a customer like you.Â
For using western union you details were put to the Ballot box for theÂ
ongoing 2014 Western Union Money Transfer End of the Year Bonanza Draw. YouÂ
have won your self $3.9 M USD. This fund will be given to you through ourÂ
office Western Union Payment Department Office, Detroit, Michigan, BENIN REPUBLIC.YourÂ
winnings sum will be paid installment with sums of $5,000.00 which willÂ
be sent to you in every Seven Hours (7hours) until the funds is completelyÂ
paid to you, this is as a result that $5,000 is the maximum limit ourÂ
Western Union payment Department can send per transaction, we are legallyÂ
allowed to pay you till receive your winnings fund worth of US$3.9M USDTheÂ
Following is the Western Union Money Control Number for your First paymentÂ
of $5,000: We advice you to track this information through WUÂ
Track Senderâ€™s first name: JOSEPH Senderâ€™s Last Name: MOTIGWE MTCN Number:Â
3125850067Â Note that the above has not been activated for you to pick upÂ
because your name has not been activated to it. To enable us activate yourÂ
payment immediately you would be required to pay a small activation chargeÂ
of US$200. Please be informed that this charge can not be deducted fromÂ
your account because itâ€™s bonded and has been programmed till your finalÂ
payment. This would be paid once and will not be requested to pay it afterÂ
your transaction has been activated Send the US$200 payment information toÂ
our Western Union payment agent below as soon as it's done. Upon theÂ
receipt of the US$200, your programmed transaction will be activated andÂ
you would enable you receive your start receiving your winnings in US$5,000Â
installments.The Receivers Information For The US$200 is asÂ
follows:

Receivers Name: Jim Udo
Country Benin Republic,Â
Text Question: In God
Answer: We Trust
Amount to be sent:US$200
MTCN:
Senders Name:
Senders country:

Immediately he receives the payment, our Western Union payment Department shall activate yourÂ
programmed transaction to enable you receive your first installment paymentÂ
of $5,000 immediately. Please Note: this control numberÂ (3125850067) shouldÂ
be kept very safe and secret for your own security, to avoid someone elseÂ
tempering with you funds.Call +229_68_50_51_27 for more Details andÂ
directives.We congratulate you in Advance.Winnings Claims BonanzaÂ
DepartmentWestern Union Money TransferÂ Officewumt@bonnaza- westernunion.comÂ
<wumt@bonnaza-westernunion.com > Â© 2014 Western Unon Inc. All rightsÂ

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam