419 scam: Mr Mark Eto <marketo2@sbcglobal.net> Dear friend,

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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "to your nominated bank account" (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 states 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)
- "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.

Fraud email example:

From: Mr Mark Eto <marketo2@sbcglobal.net>
Reply-To: mark.eto@rediffmail.com
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:43:50 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Dear friend,

Dear friend,

With due respect I crave your indulgence as I am contacting you in such a
surprising manner, but I respectfully suggest that you read this letter
carefully and let me know your opinion or willingness in this business
transaction that I will propose to you. I got your contact from a directory data
while searching for a reliable and trustworthy person that will champion this
transaction. This however is not mandatory nor will I in any manner compel you
to honor against your will, but I strongly believe that this transaction will
open doors for unimaginable financial rewards for both of us at the end. Before
I introduce myself properly, I want you to understand that this offer is a
genuine business opportunity,but it depends on way you look at it, because this
kind of business has been in existence before we were born and is been carried
out on regular bases in every country especially those in the financial
sectors.

In a brief introduction, I am Mr. Mark Eto, I work with one of the leading
bank in Lome-Togo as an internal auditor. In my department we discovered an
abandoned sum of $9,600,000.00 (Nine million six hundred thousand United States
dollars) In an account that belongs to a foreigner who died in a car accident
with his wife and only daughter on 14th December 1999. Since then we have made
several inquiries to locate any of the deceased relatives, but all our efforts
proved abortive as there is no heir to the fund. I am contacting you because I
want to file in your name as the next of kin or distance relative to the
deceased to enable the release and transfer of the fund to you for our mutual
benefit.

Consider this and get back to me so that I can give you more details on
possible measures of transferring the fund to your nominated bank
account.

Note that I am willing to share the fund with you 60/40 at the end
of the transaction provided you will follow my instructions and put in your
maximum support to achieve this goal.

Eagerly waiting for your positive response.

Mr. Mark Eto

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam