419 scam: Grace Williams <g_2willims@yahoo.com> how are you ???

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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.

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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:
- "cost of transfer" (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. )
- "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: Grace Williams <g_2willims@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: gracewilliam@hotmail.fr
Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 01:31:41 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: how are you ???

attention : Dearest ,
I make this appeal with the understanding that any
facts or opinion expressed by me are giving in confidence and solely for
your personal information and use.I am Mrs. Grace Williams, the manager of
bill and exchange at the foreign remittance department of my Bank. In my
department I discovered an abandoned sum of (Eight Million, Five Hundred
Thousand US Dollars) with account number 0101-001-73914682-28 that
belongs to one of our foreign customers who died along with his wife and only daughter

in a plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight number 261 which crashed on 31 January, 2000.

You shall read more about the crash on visiting this site http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/02

/01/alaska.airlines.list/ the owner of this account is Mr. Morris Thompson an

American and great industrialist and a resident of Alaska.It is therefore upon this discovery that I now decided to make this business proposal to you and for our bank to release the money to you.

You have to follow the instruction which I will send to you as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement sincn nobody is coming for it and I don't want this money to go into our bank treasury as unclaimed bill.In appreciation of your assistance, I am offering you 35 percent of the total sum. 5percent for contingencies cost of transfer/other charges likely to be incurred during the course of transaction, while the remaining 60percent is for me.Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or email the text of the application which you will complete and forward to our bank asking for this money to be paid to you as the next of kin to Mr. Morris Thomson. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any fear as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer.You should contact immediately as soon as you receive this mail
Please do not hesitate to contact me immediatel should you consider my urgent

request.
Yours Faithfully,
Dr Grace William

Anti-fraud resources:

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