419 scam: MARK SMITH <paulprince105@gmail.com> YOUR CONTRACT INHERITANCE FUND

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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:
- "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "million us 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)
- "million 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 of america" (this email uses bad English)
- "power of attorney" (with your bank details and a power of attorney form criminals sometimes empty bank accounts)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.

Fraud email example:

From: MARK SMITH <paulprince105@gmail.com>
Reply-To: marksmithwb1@gmail.com
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2023 00:28:42 -0700
Subject: YOUR CONTRACT INHERITANCE FUND

FROM THE DESK OF MARK SMITH
DEBT MANAGEMENT OFFICE
Our Ref: UN/CPO/WB/845/2022

ATTENTION : Beneficiary

*YOUR CONTRACT INHERITANCE FUND DIVERTING USD$12.2 MILLION DOLLARS*

A power of attorney was forwarded to our office this morning by one
gentleman. He is a citizen of the United State of America and his name is
MR MILLER GRAIG DOUGLAS.

This man claimed to be your representative and this power of attorney
stated that you are dead after a brief illness and he brought an account
domiciled with Citibank in the USA to claim this approved $12. 2 Million US
Dollars which is now lying dormant and unclaimed, below is the account he
submitted:

City Bank, NA
60 Wall Street New York, NY 10052
Account: 6503809428
Routing: 122006743,
Account name: Miller Graig Douglas

Be further informed that this power of attorney also stated that you
suffered and died of throat cancer. You are therefore given 24 hrs to
confirm the truth in this information, if you are still alive, you are to
contact us back immediately, because we have 48 hrs just to ensure that we
monitor all the activities going on in regards to the transfer of
beneficiary's inheritance and contract payment.

You are to call this office immediately for clarifications on this matter
as we shall be available 48 hrs to speak with you and give you the
necessary guidelines on how to ensure that your payment is wired to you
immediately and also be inform that any further delay from your side could
be dangerous, as we would not be held responsible for any wrong payment.
Contact us as soon as possible if you are truly alive as we have his
identification and residence he provides for us to wire the payment to him.

Note: we want you to re-confirm your personal information below to enable
us to renew and update your file before we will take the next step and make
sure that you receive your funds this week without delay.

(1) Full Name: ...............................
(2) Country/State: ..................................
(3) Delivery Address: ...........................
(4) Occupation.............................
(5) Sex..............................
(6) Age: ........................................
(7) Telephone Number: ...........................
(8) A Copy of your Int'l Passport or Drivers license:

We look forward to your cooperation as soon as you receive this message.

Yours in Service,
{CODE 001}
Mark Smith (Head Auditor
Rhounda Murray (secretary

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam