419 scam: maria khumalo <olympic474@msn.com> please read my letter

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:
- "demurrage " (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. )
- "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)
- "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)
- "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
- "robert mugabe" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
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.
- +27788535264 (South Africa, prepaid mobile phone)
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.
- johnkumbo@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: maria khumalo <olympic474@msn.com>
Reply-To: <mkhumal@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 2009 15:26:15 +0000
Subject: please read my letter

FROM: MRS MARY KUMBO
HARARE ZIMBABWE
LETTER OF ASSISTANCE
ATTENTION: Sir/Madam

You might be surprised to receive this mail letter from me since you don’t know me personally. I am Mrs. MARY KUMBO the wife of late Mr. Michael Kumbo who was murdered by the Zimbabwean war veterans and irate people. I am writing this letter from Harare , Zimbabwe .

I got your contact address through internet in South Africa , when I went to South Africa to see my son JOHN. After due consideration of your Profile, hence I decided to write to you. I write to solicit for your special assistance to my family Shattered by a tyrannical government led by a dictator and his (ZANU-PF) ruling party, President ROBERT MUGABE.

Because of land and farmland crisis in Zimbabwean the government secretly sponsored the war Veterans and some irate party members to dispose the land being occupied by the white farmers.

This action has led to killing of some members of opposition party including my husband who did not support this ill-fated action. But before the death of my husband, he anticipated some dangers and so he smuggled out the sum of US$25.5 million dollars (Twenty five million five Hundred Thousand united state dollars) to South Africa and deposited it in a private Security Company With the intention of using it for the purchase of farm machinery and chemicals for agricultural Purpose in South Africa and establishment of a new farm in Swaziland.

This money was deposited in a conceal box as family valuables to avoid much demurrage in the Security Company. On Monday 24th of March 2008 before the election started the war veterans and some supporters of (ZANU-PF) ruling party trooped into our compound and axed my husband to death and my second son of 25yrs. Since then they have been terrorizing my son John but he managed to escape to neighboring country South Africa as a political asylum seeker (refugee).Mugabe burned the Media to publish any news as it will reflect bad on him and also on the neighboring African countries especially South Africa as it will be hosting the 2010 soccer world cup.

His position in South Africa does not permit him to open an account or to operate any business. That is why I want this fund to be transferred in your account so that you will assist him to invest the money in your country. If you accept to assist us, all I want from you is to arrange and come down to Johannesburg , South Africa so that you can help him to open a non-resident bank account in your name, or in your company name which will aid us in transferring the money into your nominating account overseas.

My family and I have two options for you, firstly, you can choose to have certain percentage of the money for nominating your account in this transaction or we can go into partnership with you for the proper profitable investment of the money in your country whichever the option, fell free to notify him. He will then furnish you with every detail you need to know.

We have also mapped out 5% of the total sum for any expenses that might be incurred during the time of this transaction. If you do not prefer a partnership, we are willing to give you 25% of the money while the remaining 70% will remain for my family, if you are really capable and willing to assist us please contact him immediately in South Africa with this details below. And please treat this matter as urgent as possible thanks for your mutual co-operation. I am expecting your soonest and urgent response

TELEPHONE +27-78-853-5264

EMAIL: johnkumbo@gmail.com

Please treat this matter as urgent as possible,
Thanks for you’re mutual co-operation.
I'm expecting you’re soonest and urgent response.

Best Regards,

MRS MARY KUMBO.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam