419 scam: "Martins Woma"<martinswoma1@gmail.com> Dear Friend

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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)
- "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found 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.
- martinswoma01@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Martins Woma" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <martinswoma01@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2016 03:04:20 -0800
Subject: Dear Friend

Dear Friend,

I know that this mail will come to you as a surprise as we have never

met before, but need not to worry as I am contacting you independently

of my investigation and no one is informed of this communication. I

need your urgent cooperation in transferring the sum of $11.3million

immediately to your private account. The money has been here in our

Bank lying dormant for years now without anybody coming for the claim

of it.

I want to release the money to you as the relative to our deceased

customer (the account owner) who died along with her supposed NEXT OF

KIN since 31 January 2001. The Banking law here does not allow such

money to stay more than 16 years, because the money will be recalled

to the Bank treasury account as unclaimed fund.

By indicating your interest I will send you the full details on how

the business will be executed.

Please respond urgently and delete if you are not interested.

Email: martinswoma01@gmail.com

Best Regards,

Martins Woma.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam