419 scam: "Caroline" <mrs.carolinefreund@gmail.com> Please Help

joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet

Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days

Home

About Us

Spam

419/Nigeria

Fraud

Contact

"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:
- "million united state dollars" (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)
- "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
- "is 100% risk-free" (almost true for the criminal trying to scam you - arrests of online criminals are rare)
- "offshore account" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
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.
- caro11119@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Caroline" <mrs.carolinefreund@gmail.com>
Reply-To: rm_c@yahoo.com
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2017 02:35:42 +0900
Subject: Please Help

Please Help,

The internet has been grossly abused by scam artist and miscreants whose
intention is to hurt. In as much as one should be careful, same time we
should not allow negative to kill the positive potential in a realistic
business, please read my proposal carefully is 100% Risk-free.

My name is Mrs. Caroline the Branch manager of Cahoot Bank here in the UK;
I am married with three children. I am writing this letter to ask for your
support and co-operation to carry out this business opportunity in my
department. After annual audit Last month in my branch I discover
documents of a late client Mr Paul Louis Halley A French business magnate
who made a numbered fixed deposit with this branch valued $8M (Eight
Million United State Dollars,) and I was lucky to have the scan documents
with me in save position. I discovered from his contract employers, the
Petroleum Corporation that Mr Paul Louis Halley, his wife, their 2
children and other passengers on board died in the plane crash on the 07
Dec 2003 as you can confirm it yourself via the website below for (BBC
NEWS:

http://newswww.bbc.net.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/oxfordshire/4537663.stm

According to United Kingdom banking law after the expiration of 14
(fourteen ) years, if nobody apply for the claim his abandoned money with
my bank, the money is going to be confiscated as state treasury if nobody
apply for the claim and I do not want that to happen. Therefore, I am
seeking for your support as a next of kin/ beneficiary for you and i to
claim these funds so that we move it into useful investments, I am ready
to share with you 40% for you and 60% will be kept for me, You will
provide offshore account where the funds will be transferred to and this
is the reason while I am contacting you because I cannot claim the funds
alone because I am currently working with the bank. For more information;
I want you to please contact me on my private e-mail account:
caro11119@yahoo.com

When you contact me, I will give you more information.

Mrs. Caroline

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam