419 scam: "Mrs Winnie Yung" <winniwyung@hangsengbank.com> 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:

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:
- "hundred thousand 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)
- "utmost confidentiality" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
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.
- winnieyung71@yahoo.com.hk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mrs Winnie Yung" <winniwyung@hangsengbank.com>
Reply-To: winnieyung71@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Sun, 30 May 2010 09:40:14 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: ATTENTION!

Good day Sir/Madam,

Let me start by introducing myself.I am Mrs Winnie Yung director of
operations of the Hang Seng Bank Ltd in Hong Kong.I have an obscured
business suggestion for you. Before the U.S and Iraqi war one of our
client Colonel Sadiq Uday who was with the Iraqi forces and also
businessman made a numbered fixed deposit for 18 calendar months, with a
value of twenty four millions five hundred thousand United State Dollars
only in my branch.

Upon maturity several notices was sent to him, even during the war which
began in 2003. Again after the war another notification was sent and still
no response came from him. We later find out that the Colonel along with
his wife and only daughter had been killed during the war in a bomb blast
that hit their home.

After further investigation it was also discovered that Colonel Sadiq Uday
did not declare any next of kin in his official papers including the paper
work of his bank deposit. And he also confided in me the last time he was
at my office that no one except me knew of his deposit in my bank. So, One
hundred and twenty five million, seven hundred and fifty thousand U.S
dollars is still lying in my bank and no one will ever come forward to
claim it.

When I discovered he and his family is dead i had to look for a very
reliable person who can stand as the Next of kin to that funds , so that
the funds will be transfered out of the bank immediately. What bothers me
most is that according to the laws of my country at the expiration 5 years
the funds will revert to the ownership of the Hong Kong Government if
nobody applies to claim the funds.

Please treat this business with utmost confidentiality and send me the
following.

(1)Full names, (2)Private Phone number (3)Current residential address,
(4)Occupation (5)Age and Proffession.

Therefore , if you know you are capable of involving in this mouth
watering transaction, please send me an email to my Private email below,
so that i will give you more details about this transaction and how we
will successfully carry out this transaction without any risk involved.

Mrs Winnie Yung.
Email: winnieyung71@yahoo.com.hk

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AND RESPOND

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam