419 scam: "MISS RICHAEL DUKE" <richael4life@yahoo.com> Contact DHL for the delivery of your check

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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:

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:
- "clearance certificate" (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. )
- "certificate 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. )
- "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. )
- "security keeping 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. )
- "clearance certificate" (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. )
- "are expected to pay " (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. )
- "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)
- "courier service" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
- "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
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.
- +447045720486 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
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.
- dhlcourierexpressview@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "MISS RICHAEL DUKE" <richael4life@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: richael4u@hotmail.com
Date: Thu, 20 May 2010 13:21:54 -0300 (ART)
Subject: Contact DHL for the delivery of your check

My Dear,

I am sure this mail would be coming to you as a surprise since we have
never met before and you would also be asking why I have decided to chose
you amongst the numerous internet users in the world, precisely I cannot
say why I have chosen you but do not be worried for I come in peace and
something very positive is about to happen to your life right now and to
the lives of others through you if only you can carefully read and digest
the message below. The internet has made the world global villages where
you can reach anybody you have not met before.

Before I move further, permit me to give you a little of my biography, I
am Mother Angelina Lucy Keith, 87 Years old woman and the wife of Late Sir
Abery Keith who died in a Plane crash on Monday the 7th of September 1998
GMT 14:22 UK while they were flying from New York to Geneva. Please see
site below for more information.
http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9809/swissair.victims.list/index.html

After the death of my husband I became the Head of his investment and now
that I am old and weak I have decided to spend the rest of my life with my
family and loved ones whom I never had time for during the course of my
business life, but before the death of my husband we had a plan to use the
last days of our lives to donate half of what we have worked for to the
less privilege and charity homes and the other half for ourselves, family
members and close friends, and it is so unfortunate that my husband is not
alive today to do this with me and I am very weak and old now, hence I
have decided to do this philanthropic work on behalf of my late husband
and I.

Presently, I have willed out almost half of our assets to several charity
homes and to some of the less privilege in different countries. Despite
the agreement between my late husband and I to give aid to the deprived,
we also agreed to render support to an individual we have not meet before
in life due to the fact when we were still young in life we receive an
anonymous help from an individual we did not know and which we have not
being able to know till date, the impact we got from such gesture made us
to do same.

I am sorry to inform you that you will never have the chance to know me
because I have just concluded the assignment which my husband and I have
agreed upon before his sudden death and you happened to be the beneficiary
of our last WILL, irrespective of your previous financial status, hence I
need you to do me a favor by accepting our offer that will cost you
nothing.

I have presently deposited a Cheque in the sum of 1,800,000.00 British
Pounds with DHL express to deliver to you, what you have to do now is to
contact the DHL COURIER SERVICE as soon as possible to know when they will
deliver your package to you because of the expiring date.

For your information, I have paid for the delivering Charge, Insurance
Premium and Clearance Certificate Fee of the Cheque showing that it is not
a Drug Money or meant to sponsor Terrorist attack in your Country

You have to contact the DHL COURIER SERVICE now for the delivery of your
cheque with this information bellow;
Contact Person: Mr. George Greg
Email Address:dhlcourierexpressview@yahoo.com

Tell: +44 704 572 0486

Again, you are not to pay for the delivering Charge, the Insurance premium
and the Clearance Certificate Fee of the Cheque because I have already
paid for them, the only money you are expected to pay is 160 British
Pounds for the security keeping of the cheque so far.

I would have paid the fee but the company insisted that I should not
because they don't know when you will be contacting them and to avoid
demurrage or further cost.

You are to reconfirm the below information to them to avoid any mistake on
the Delivery.

Postal address;
Full Names:
Direct telephone number;

Below is the security keeping code: (SCT/0433/F) of your draft, you are to
also present it to them for verification before delivery.

Let me repeat again, try to contact them as soon as you receive this mail
to avoid any further delay and remember to ask them to provide you with
the method they wish to use in receiving their security keeping fee of 160
British Pounds for their immediate action.

Note: Please I do not want you to thank me or my husband all I need you to
do is to invest wisely with it and do the same good to someone’s life
someday as this is the only way this world would be a better community if
we render selfless services to one another.

Yours Faithfully
Mrs. Angelina Keith

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam