419 scam: mr tony mehan <mr.tony.mehan2@gmail.com> Dear Friend I Needed Your Attention .

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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:

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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "very 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)
- "i will advice you " (this email uses bad English)
This email message is a next of kin scam.
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.
- +22898877803 (Togo, probably a prepaid mobile phone)
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.
- mr.tony.mehan@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: mr tony mehan <mr.tony.mehan2@gmail.com>
Reply-To: mr.tony.mehan@gmail.com
Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2015 13:22:58 +0100
Subject: Dear Friend I Needed Your Attention .

Dear Friend I Need Your Attention!.

Greetings and please pardon me for not knowing your mindset before
contacting you and it is very confidential and please kindly call me
on +228 988 778 03 after reading this message. I am Mr Tony Mehan, The
Branch Manager, Banque International De L'Afrique,Kara
Branch,Lome-Republic of Togo.

We had a foreign client [Late Mrs. Stella Sanders] a national of your
country. On the 25TH FEB 2003, my client and her only son were
involved in a car accident along Kaneshi express Road here in Republic of Togo.

Unfortunately they lost their lives in the car crash.
Since then the Bank had made several enquiries to your embassy here to
locate any of our clients extended relatives, this has also proved
unsuccessful.

This our client, has an account with this Branch of our Bank, totaling
US$6.5 million, which she inherited from her late husband who was an
industrialist before he died. And, since that year after her death,the
bank has not had anyone that Comes for the claim of this fund as
either her relation or as a friend.

A situation I have monitored closely with my position here as the
Manager of this branch of our Bank and l have finally removed her file
to my private vault.

Now this is what l actually wants you to do;

Since you bear the same family name with her and of the same
nationality have reasoned very professionally and l feel it will be
legally proper to present you as her next of kin so as to claim out
this fund, before it is transferred to the Bank's treasury at the end
of this financial year where other people may as well claim it
directly without going to this length.

I am quite aware of the procedures this will take and I will advice
you appropriately on the way forward and guide you on how to apply to
our Bank to make the claim for the fund and its bank-to-bank transfer
to your designated bank account, where you consider safe for it.
Thank you in anticipation of your urgent response and I will furnish
you with the full details and please also include your direct phone
numbers.

l intend to give you 50% while l take 50% and l hope you will be a
very honest and reliable person. Do contact me to my private email
address ( mr.tony.mehan@gmail.com )

Yours Faithfully,
Mr Tony Mehan.
+228 988 778 03 or 00228 988 778 03
SKYPE ID Mr Tony Mehan

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam