419 scam: "Mr. Edward White" <williamsmichael191@gmail.com> Re: My Message To You,

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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)
- "urgent assistance" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
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.
- edward888white@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. Edward White" <williamsmichael191@gmail.com>
Reply-To: edward888white@gmail.com
Date: Thu, 6 Aug 2015 18:22:54 -0700
Subject: Re: My Message To You,

Hello My Dear Friend ,

I am Mr Edward White; I'm a south Africa national but live in Cotonou
a city in Benin Republic. I work with one of the leading Bank's here
in Cotonou-Benin Republic West Africa.
I Hope that you will not expose or betray this trust and confident
that I am about to repose on you for the mutual benefit of our both
families. I need your urgent assistance in transferring the sum
of(US$15.670M) to your account within 10 or 14 banking days, This
money was deposited by a deceased customer Eng., who died including
his family and his supposed next of kin on 25 Dec. 2003 being 727
plane crash in Cotonou-Benin Republic.

I am contacting you because his name is similar with yours. This money
has been dormant for years in our Bank without claim, I want the bank
to release the money to you as the nearest person to our deceased
customer Eng, I don't want the money to go into government treasury as
an abandoned fund.

The bank will release the money to you as the next of kin to my late
client Eng.. I am in the position to guide you towards this
transaction and all I need from you is to stand as the NEXT OF KIN, so
that upon your request for immediate transfer of the money the bank
will not hesitate to transfer to your designated bank account.

If you accept this offer to work with me and find this proposal
suitable for you do reply back to me through my below private email
letâ€™s discuss in details, upon the receive of your reply I will also
forward to you the procedure and Please I would like you to keep this
proposal as a top secret and delete it if you are not interested.
Kindly get back to me with your personal email address so i will reply
you back in details by email okay .Here is my email address :
edward888white@gmail.com

Thanks,
Mr Edward White

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam