419 scam: "W."<unorg.info@sbcglobal.net> RE: CAN YOU ASSIST ME

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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:
- "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)
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.
- jane041@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "W." (may be fake)
Reply-To: <lsowilliams@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 25 Apr 2015 07:54:12 -0700
Subject: RE: CAN YOU ASSIST ME

I am aware that this letter has come to you as a surprise as we have not met before. I have contacted you with good conviction and genuine intentions, hopping I can trust you with this Inheritance Opportunity which I explain below.

I am Jane Albert, the only Surviving Daughter to my family who died in a car Accident with my mother and my two brothers in Lansing Michigan on the 26th August 2014 but my father Left behind a large deposit of money with Natwest bank UK a bank in Europe(US$4, 000, 000, 00).

The bank contacted me, as the only available Next of Kin but i am too small and cannot afford to enhance the process of procuring all legal documents for the purpuse of claiming this fund from the Bank. I therefore seek your consent to present you as guidian So as to gain advantage to the release of the estate to me as the legal beneficiary / next of kin without hitch.

Please get back to me on my email: jane041@hotmail.com for further details and to enable us discusses the sharing ratio of the funds upon release from the bank.

To facilitate the process of this transaction, kindly reconfirm the following to me

Your full name: .......
Telephone and fax numbers:.....
Address:......
Age:......
Marital status:......
Occupation:.........

Promise to keep every bit of this transaction very confidential and urgent because the bank have just informed me that the fund deposit will be cancelled by 31ST of AUGUST 2015 as the fund agreement reads from when my father deposited the fund.

Best regards
Jane Albert
Email: jane041@hotmail.com

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam