419 scam: "Mrs. Patricia Ernes" <ernes@firm.com> New Message From Mrs Ernes

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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:
- "clearance certificate" (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. )
- "certificate 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. )
- "clearance certificate" (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. )
- "are expected 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. )
- "00,000.00" (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)
- "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. )
- "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 next of kin scam.
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.
- dhlpost.nl@aim.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mrs. Patricia Ernes" <ernes@firm.com>
Reply-To: dhlpost.nl@aim.com
Date: Wed, 04 Mar 2015 17:07:22 +0800
Subject: New Message From Mrs Ernes

Greetings to you

I am sure this mail would be coming to you as a surprise since we have
never met before and you would also be asking why I have decided to
chose you amongst the numerous Internet users in the world, precisely
I cannot say why I have chosen you but do not be worried for I come in
peace and something very positive is about to happen to your life
right now and to the lives of others through you if only you can
carefully read and digest the message below.

Before I move further, permit me to give you a little of my biography,
I am Mother Mrs. Patricia Ernest, 87 Years old woman and the wife of
Late Sir
Thompson, Ernest,,who died in a Plane crash on Monday the 7th of
September 1998 GMT 15:22 NL while they were flying from New York to
Geneva. Please see site below for more information.

http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9809/swissair.victims.list/index.html

After the death of my husband I became the Head of his investment and
now that I am old and weak I have decided to spend the rest of my life
in my Ranch before i finally leave the world, but before the death of
my husband we had a plan to use the last days of our lives to donate
half of what we have worked for to the less privilege and charity
homes and the other half for ourselves, family members and close
friends, and it is so unfortunate that my husband is not alive today
to do this with me and I am very weak and old now, hence I have
decided to do this philanthropic work on behalf of my late husband.

Presently, I have willed out almost half of our assets to several
charity homes and to some of the less privilege in different
countries.Despite the agreement between my late husband and I to give
aid to the deprived, we also agreed to render support to an individual
we have not meet before in life due to the fact when we were still
young in life we receive an anonymous help from an individual we did
not know and which we have not being able to know till date, the
impact we got from such gesture made us to do same.

I am sorry to inform you that you will never have the chance to know
me because I have just concluded the assignment which my husband and I
have agreed upon before his sudden death and you happened to be the
beneficiary of our last WILL, hence I need you to do me a favor by
accepting our offer.

I deposited some fund in the sum of 1,800,000.00 (One Million Eight
Hundred Thousand Euro) with DHL NL four weeks ago to deliver to you,
but i was very ill so i could not send you an email until today. what
you have to do now is to contact the DHL COURIER SERVICE NL as soon as
possible to know when they will deliver your package to you.For your
information, I have paid for the delivering Charge, Insurance Premium
and Clearance Certificate Fee of the Cheque showing that it is not a
Drug Money or meant to sponsor Terrorist attack in your Country
You have to contact the DHL EXPRESS NL now for the delivery of your
cheque with this information bellow;

Contact Person: Mr. Greg Cohen
Email Address: dhlpost.nl@aim.com
Address: DHL EXPRESS SERVICE CENTRE,Terminalweg 36
3821 AJ Amersfoort The Netherlands

Again, you are not to pay for the delivering Charge, the Insurance
premium and the Clearance Certificate Fee of the Cheque because I have
already paid for them, the only money you are expected to pay is
1,160euro for the security keeping of the cheque so far.I would have
paid the fee but the company insisted that I should not because they
don't know when you will be contacting them and to avoid demur rage or
further cost.You are to reconfirm the below information to them to
avoid any mistake on the Delivery.

Postal address:
Full Names:
Direct telephone number:
Age:

Below is the security keeping code: (SCTC/2071DHL/567) for your draft,
you are to also present it to them for verification before
delivery.Please, try to contact them as soon as you receive this mail
to avoid any further delay.Be also notified that I will no longer be
reading my emails or surfing the Internet as I have retired completely
from the outside world to my ranch, at this moment I have nothing to
do with cars, emails and other luxuries, all further correspondence
should be forwarded to the courier company for the delivery of your
cheque to you.

Yours Faithfully,
Mrs. Patricia Ernes

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam