419 scam: "Mr. benson" <www.@hop.ocn.ne.jp> 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:

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)
- "activation fee" (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. )
- "western union" (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. )
- "mtcn" (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. )
- "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. benson" <www.@hop.ocn.ne.jp>
Reply-To: "Mr. benson" <atm.atmcardoffice.card@bk.ru>
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2018 03:06:22 +0900 (JST)
Subject: Dear friend,

Dear friend,
I hereby inform you that we have processed your payment and your ATM CARD is ready for disbursement. Please understand that your fund is not in liquid form but in a Universal ATM card; this advice complies with the Anti-Fraud section 2, sub section (IV) of the procedural manual of the funds disbursement agreement existing between International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Benin Government. We have concluded delivery arrangement with DHL to oversee the delivery of the ATM card to your doorstep within 48hrs, and DHL will charge our account for delivery of your ATM card. All we need from you is the ATM card activation fee of $180, to enable us activate your ATM card, so that you will start using the ATM card immediately you receive it. In order to help us serve you better and expeditiously, you are requested to send the activation fee through Western Union to the below information:
Receiver: JOE AJA
City:$B!D!D!D(B COTONOU
Country:$B!D(BBENIN REPUBLIC
Question:$B!D(BWHEN?
Answer:$B!D!D(BSOON
Amount:$B!D(B$180 MTCN:$B!D!D!D!D!D!D!D(B
Your ATM card will be dispatched within 2hrs we confirmed your payment, at the same time, we will email a new invoice to you with the tracking number, you can tracking your shipment/ATM card online in 48 hours since you received it. Please write down your real and correct name and shipping address, including the postal code and your phone number carefully and completely after the payment of $180 because we will not be responsible for those unsuccessfully delivery caused by the incorrect customer name and shipping address.
I eagerly wait your response.

Sincerely,
Mr. partrick benson

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam