419 scam: "Mr.Gbenga Makinde" <emmaokoro877@gmail.com> Attn: Dear Esteemed Beneficiary,

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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:
- ",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)
- "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.

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr.Gbenga Makinde" <emmaokoro877@gmail.com>
Reply-To: gbenga.makinde@accountant.com
Date: Sat, 23 Oct 2021 02:10:47 -0700
Subject: Attn: Dear Esteemed Beneficiary,

Greetings Funds Owner

Iâ€™m Sir Mr.Gbenga Makinde,The executive director of UNITED BANK FOR
AFRICA (UBA BANK) of Commerce located at II 01 BP 2020 Cotonou,
BENIN,and Iâ€™m
contacting you this morning regarding the Fund Victims Compensation
funds from the government of Benin and World Bank which valued the sum
of $10,500,000.00 USD only.

Today you will receive your compensation from the government and you
will receive your fund within 24 hours only, all you need to do is to
confirm your bank account address to avoid wrong transfer or
misplacing of your address.

You are required to contact us back with your information below;

(1). Personal Information;

Full Names
Delivery Address
Direct Cell/Mobile Number
Age/Sex
Occupation
A copy of Identification

(2) Banking Information;

Bank Name
Account Name
Account Number
Swift Code
Bank Address

Yours Faithfully
Gbenga Makinde
Executive Director

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam