419 scam: "Berty Voets" <berty.voets@gmx.de> my subject

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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:
- "a security company " (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "million pounds" (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)
- "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
This email message is a "dying widow" 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.
- bertydec@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Berty Voets" <berty.voets@gmx.de>
Reply-To: bertydec@gmail.com
Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2017 07:26:08 -0700
Subject: my subject

Hello,

my name is Berty Voets. I'm a 51 years old woman from Saarbrucken
Germany, suffering from cancer of the throat. From all indication my
conditions is really deteriorating and it is quite obvious that I can't
work or do any stressful thing, according to my doctors they have advised
me that I may not live for the next two months, this is because the cancer
stage has gotten to a very bad stage. I was brought up in an orphanage
home, and was married to my late husband for twenty years without a child.

My Husband Cheng Lee was Korean but he died in a fatal motor accident,
before his death we were true Christians. Since his death I decided not
to re-marry, I sold all my inherited belongings and deposited all the sum
of $8.3 million Pounds with a security company in the UK, the security
company just wrote me and told me in the letter that they can have the
funds released to any approved person authorized by me. Presently, i just
got a laptop from the doctor here in the hospital in India where I have
been undergoing treatment for my sickness. I have since lost my ability to
talk and my doctors have told me that I have few weeks to live. It is my
last wish to see at least 70% of this money donated/invested to any
organization/business of your choice and distributed each year among the
charity organization, e.g. the poor homes, the orphanage home where I was
raised.

Now What i seek is a responsible and honest person like you, who will
carry out my last wishes and before I emailed you today I prayed and I got
the confidence to send you this message. I took this decision, before I
rest in peace because my time will soon be up. As soon as I receive your
reply I will give you the contact of my attorney, who will assist you get
this done and subsequent supervise you.

All i need from you is a confidential assurance that the funds when
received by you will be used for the said purpose, Nowadays there are so
much scams going on in the internet and it is difficult to trust but I
donâ€™t know why my mind still approved me to message you about this, i have
been constantly deceived by loved and trusted ones, now i do not have much
time to live i believe i have nothing to lose.

Contact me immediately at bertydec@gmail.com if you believe you can handle
this.

Thanks,
Berty Voets

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam