419 scam: "Otabil Mensah" <TB.Bua@hotmail.com> I NEED YOUR ASSISTANCE

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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:
- ",500,000" (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)
- "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)
- "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)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
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.
- otabil.mensahh@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Otabil Mensah" <TB.Bua@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: otabil.mensahh@yahoo.com
Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2015 20:26:58 +0300
Subject: I NEED YOUR ASSISTANCE

Good day, My Good Friend.

Before I tell you about myself i want you to please forgive me for sending
this mail without your permission.

Let me start by introducing myself properly to you. My name is Mr Otabil
Mensah, The Bank Manager of a Financial Institution. I am a Ghanaian
married with 3 kids, I am writing to solicit your assistance in the
transfer of US$7,500,000.00 Dollars into your account.

Listing, In the course of the last year 2014 end of the year report, I
discovered that my branch in which I am the Manager made excess profit of
Seven Million five Hundred Thousand Dollars [US$7,500,000.00], this said
funds discovered after i have already submitted an annual report for that
last year 2014 because it is my duty as the branch Manager to send in a
Financial Report to my head office in the capital city Accra at the end of
each year.

Even since that last year i have watched with keen interest and notice
that my bank head office are not aware of the fund and they will never
know of this excess, so i have since placed this amount of $7,500,000.00
US Dollars on an Escrow Coded account without a beneficiary (Anonymous) to
avoid trace.

As an officer of the bank, I cannot be directly connected to the fund
which make me to request for your assistance to receive the fund into your
bank account as a foreign partner , then we invest the funds in your
country, I want to assure you that their is no risk involved in this. It's
going to be a bank-to- bank transfer.

All I need from you is to stand as the depositor of the funds so that my
bank head office can transfer the funds to your account, I agree that we
share the funds 40% for you and 60% for me, also my 60% share will be
invested in your country under your care.

Please i immensely request for your optimum honesty and cooperation to
keep this matter as top secret between us, i believe that this is God
opportunity which i have been praying for. Kindly get back to me on this
id (otabil.mensahh@yahoo.com) for a brief discussion on how to proceed.
Please do treat this information as Top secret as I can’t afford to lose
my job with the Bank Thanks for your understanding.

Regards
Otabil

Anti-fraud resources:

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