419 scam: Isaiah Mohammed <wdm@y5net.com.kh> I will seek your cooperation

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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:
- "huge amount of money" (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)
- "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
This email message is a next of kin scam.
Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.

Fraud email example:

From: Isaiah Mohammed <wdm@y5net.com.kh>
Reply-To: Isaiah Mohammed <isaiah.mmm@outlook.com>
Date: Tue, 06 Oct 2015 01:55:02 +0700 (ICT)
Subject: I will seek your cooperation

Dear: Sir/Madam,

My name is Barrister Isaiah Mohammed a legal
counsel from Nigeria. I will seek your cooperation to present you as an
heir and a foreigner to my deceased client for his bank to release his
estate to you then we can share the amount on a mutually agreed-upon
percentage. I am contacting you to stand as Next of Kin of the deceased
because we are forbidden to operate a foreign account here in Nigeria.

He
was a wealthy business man here in Nigeria who he has a huge amount of
Money in his account. He died without any registered Next of Kin as he
was a divorcee and had no child. Note that it is not compulsory that the
heir must be a blood relation to the deceased, and no DNA TEST will be
conducted An heir could be anybody, Friends, Church, School or
Organization etc.

I advertised this issue but no one has turned
up for this period prompting me to write this letter to you as a last
resort to avoid the money from being taken by the state, if you agree to
work with me and we keep this matter confidential then get back to me
so that we begin the process of this transaction and this will be
executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect both of us
from any breach of the law.

Waiting your reply.

Regard,

Barrister. Isaiah Mohammed

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam