419 scam: "Mr Mark Williams" <mwilliams1733@yahoo.co.uk> From Mr Mark Williams

joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet

Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days

Home

About Us

Spam

419/Nigeria

Fraud

Contact

"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:
- "necessary legal documents" (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. )
- "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)
- "confidential business" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "very confidential" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
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.
- mwilliams1718@googlemail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr Mark Williams" <mwilliams1733@yahoo.co.uk>
Reply-To: <mwilliams1718@googlemail.com>
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:26:32 +0100
Subject: From Mr Mark Williams

Goodday,

I am Mr. Mark Williams. Am a Lawyer in United Kingdom. I have an urgent and very confidential business proposition for you.

Last two years, 20th of August 2008, a very rich Swedish client of mine died with his wife in a plane crash. http://www.airdisaster.com/news/article.php?id=30 (Names withheld). I decided to contact you (bearing in mind that you might not want to be a party to this perhaps for personal reasons) and therefore will allow some time for you to see if you are willing to work with me. If this is not to be the case, then I will contact others. He left no next of kin or indeed any relatives. I am therefore compelled to contact you in view of the prevalent circumstances.

I have made several enquiries to locate any of my clients extended relatives and this has proved unsuccessful. I decided to contact you first to seek your consent to join hands with me in repatriating the money and property left behind by my client, before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by the bank/Government of UK. The funds are of an estimated value of $9,700,000.00 (Nine Million Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars Only).

Consequently, the bank (the custodian of the funds) issued me with a notice to provide the next of kin or have the deposit declared recovered treasure and converted to the public funds. Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives, I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin of the deceased. The proceeds of this account can then be paid to you for both of us to share the money: 50% to me and 50% to you. I can get all necessary legal documents that can be used to back up the claim.

I will provide you with more information on this as we progress. All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us to see this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. Please contact me via email; mwilliams1718@googlemail.com

Thanks.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam