419 scam: "Western Union Money Transfer®" <hr@mail.yamoffice.yam.com> Re: Transfer Notification From Western Union Money Transfer®

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:

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:
- "activation fee" (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. )
- "western union" (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. )
- "money transfer control number" (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. )
- "abuja" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
This email message is a fake lottery scam. Consider the following facts about real lotteries:
1. They don't notify winners by email.
2. You can't win without first buying a lottery ticket.
3. They don't randomly select email addresses to award prizes to.
4. They don't use free email accounts (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) to communicate with you.
5. They don't tell you to call a mobile phone number.
6. They don't tell you to keep your winnings secret.
7. They will never ask a winner to pay any fees to receive a prize!
Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.

Fraud email example:

From: "Western Union Money Transfer®" <hr@mail.yamoffice.yam.com>
Reply-To: <marsdenl@secretarias.com>
Date: Sun, 23 Oct 2011 21:54:27 -0700
Subject: Re: Transfer Notification From Western Union Money Transfer®

Western Union Money Transfer®
Moving money for better..Send Money Worldwide.

Dear customer,

This is to inform you that the Lottery and Gaming Board has employed our services to transfer your winning sum of US$550,000 [Five Hundred & Fifty Thousand Dollars Only]in your name. This is in a bid to encourage online draws worldwide and internet usage. Your email address won you this prize.

The board has appointed Western Union Money Transfer to transfer your Winnings through our electronic system for the ease of your pickup.

They submitted your name, city and country to our office for a daily activation of your payment which has been programmed to be transferred in daily installments of $5,500 [Five Thousand, Five Hundred Dollars only] until you have received your total winning sum of US$550,000.

Your first transfer is available for your pickup but a hold has been put on the transfer until our confirmation of your activation fee of $550 that you have been mandated to pay before the hold is removed on your initial transfer.

Track your first installment payment online our website www.westernunion.com for confirmation:

Sender's First Name: Patrick
Sender's Last Name: Ojeme
Money Transfer Control Number: 5192235274
Amount Programmed: $5,500

To update our Activation Portal, we request you reconfirm the following:

Receiver's Name: _____________
Receiver's Address: #_______________
Receiver's Telephone Number: +______________

Send the activation fee of $550 through our front desk agent with the information provided:

Receiver's Name: Jacob Wilson

City & Country: Abuja - Nigeria

Amount To Send: $550

Text Question: A

Text Answer: B

For additional information, contact Head of Department - Mrs. Laura Marsden.
All email enquiries should be sent to:

Email: wumtoutlet3@secretarias.com

Send a copy of the payment slip issued to you at the western union outlet for confirmation of your payment.

Upon the confirmation of your Activation Fee, we shall activate your transfer within 1 hour of the confirmation of your payment.

Faithfully,

Western Union Money Transfer®

Home | About Us | Contact Us | Help | Consumer Protection | Investor Relations | Careers | Western Union Foundation | Become an Agent | Intellectual Property | Privacy Policy | State Licensing | File a Complaint | Terms & Conditions | Site Map

©2001-2011 Western Union Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam