419 scam: "MR.J Mark Mason" <minternationalmonetaryfundoffi@gmail.com> Urgent Attention

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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:
- ",000,000" (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)
- "your urgent reply" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "MR.J Mark Mason" <minternationalmonetaryfundoffi@gmail.com>
Reply-To: mpravent_email1@aol.com
Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2023 23:50:47 -0800
Subject: Urgent Attention

--
Greetings

I am contacting you from CITI BANK NEW-YORK USA to receive and share
with me an abandoned fund
$30,000,000.00.USD. left in our bank by a deceased customer.I sent you
this letter
last year, but I haven't heard from you. First of all I am going
through the Internet
search when I found your email address. My name is Mr,J Mark Mason.I
want to utilize
this opportunity to present your name to the bank to stand as his
business associate/ trustee
for the fund to be released to you via Visa card for easy withdrawals
in any VISA ATM machine
anywhere in the World if you a interested get back to me and let's
benefit from this golden
opportunity. You are my first contact.I shall wait a few days and if
I do not hear from you, I shall
look for another person.
I wait your immediate response with your information to enable this
bank expedite action.however, there will be no third party in this
transaction.

I wait for your urgent reply

Yours Faithfully,

MR.J Mark Mason

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam