419 scam: BUSINESS TRANSACTION

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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)
- ",500,000" (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)
This email message is a next of kin scam.
This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
- +447045775962 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From:
Reply-To: <jm8039@gmail.com>
Date:
Subject: BUSINESS TRANSACTION

Bank of America
211 New London
Turnpike Glastonbury, CT
Leicester LE19GD
Telex: 888401
Telegrams: CINNAFOREX
Tel: + 44 -704-577-5962
Fax: + 44 -709-284 -0444

FROM THE DESK OF: MR. JAMES MORRISON

Compliments of the day,

Before proceeding, I wish to introduce myself to you; I am MR. JAMES MORRISON a staff of Bank of America 211 New London Turnpike Glastonbury, CT Leicester LE19GD– England, working in the accounts Processing Department. I am pleased to get across to you for a very urgent and profitable business proposal, which I believe, will profit the both of us after completion. I contacted you after a careful thought that you might be capable of handling this business transaction, which I explained below.

There is this immigrant Mr. Andreas schranner, property magnate who was based in the U.K., who happens to be one of our very good clients. On the 25th of July 2004, Mr. Andreas schranner, his wife Maria, their daughter Andréa eich, her husband Christian, and their children katharina and maximilian all died in the air France concord plane crash bound for New York in their plan for a world cruise.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm

Before his death, he was having a closing balance of $75,500,000.00 (Seventy five million five hundred thousand dollars only) in my branch with account no: 01514770727 & deposit code no: nwbbaxbsl. Upon maturity, a routine Notification was forwarded to his address but we got no reply.

All attempts to trace his next of kin were fruitless. I therefore made further investigations and discovered that Mr. Andreas Schranner did not declare any next of kin or relation in all his official documents, including his bank deposit paperwork in my bank. This sum of us$75,500,000.00 has been floating as unclaimed since 2000 in my bank as all efforts to get his relatives have hit the stones.

According to the British Law, the money will revert to the ownership of the British government if nobody applies to claim the fund. To avoid this money being sent to the British treasury as unclaimed funds, I have decided to seek your assistance to have you stand as his next of kin so that the said fund (us$75.5m) would be released in your name as the next of kin and paid into your account before I come over to meet you for sharing. All documents and proof that will have you claim this fund without stress will be forwarded to you upon your response to this mail more so.

I want to inform you that I have unanimously agreed to offer you 35% of the sum for the assistance and role you are going to play in this transaction, 15% will be given to charity organizations while the remaining will be my share. As a Christian, I cannot stand and see this money being sent to the British treasury while the poor suffer.

Please send your confidential telephone and fax number in your reply to this business transaction.

God bless you.

MR. JAMES MORRISON.
Processing & Wire Transfer Department

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam