419 scam: "John Watson"<johnwatson@mail.com> To Whom It May Concern

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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:
- "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)
- "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "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.
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.
- +447024015570 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: "John Watson" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <accountdept01@live.ca>
Date: Tue, 25 May 2010 13:05:31 +0100
Subject: To Whom It May Concern

Mr.John S.Watson
chairman and chief executive officer
Chevron Corporation,
United Kingdom.
Tel: +447024015570
Email": johnwatson1230@msn.com

To Whom It May Concern

I am John S. Watson, chairman and chief executive officer of Chevron Corporation, a position
I assumed on January 1, 2010. at the foreign remittance department. In my department we discovered an
abandoned sum of $24.5m dollars Twenty Four Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars in
an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer (MR. ANDREAS SCHRANNER from Munich,
Germany) who died along with his family on (Monday, 31 July, 2000, 13:22 GMT 14:22 UK ) in a plane
crash. FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT THIS SITE BELOW:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm

Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin for the release of it
property as next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking policy and laws but
unfortunately we learnt that his supposed next of kin or relation died alongside with him at the plane
crash leaving nobody behind for the claim.It is therefore upon this discovery that I now decided to make
this business proposal to you and release the money to you as the next of kin or relation to the deceased
for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and we don't want
this money to go into the bank treasury as unclaimed bill. The banking law and guideline here stipulates
that if such money remained unclaimed after TEN years, the money will be transferred into the bank
treasury as unclaimed fund. The request of foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by
the fact that the customer was a foreigner

If Agreed to have this transaction done on confidential basics that 40% of this money will be for you as a
respect to the provision of a foreign account,10% will be set aside for expenses incurred during the transfer
process and 50% would be for me Thereafter, I will visit your country for disbursement according to the
percentage indicated Therefore, to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to you arranged, you must
response to my mail by providing your full contact information first having receive your information
as required an apllication letter will be written to the bank as relation or next of kin of the deceased
indicating your bank name, your bank account number, your private telephone and fax number for easy
and effective communication and location where in the money will be remitted.

Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or email the text of the application .I will not fail to
bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch-free and you should not entertain any atom of fear as all
required arrangements have been made for the transfer.If you wish to speak to me here is my cell phone
number +(44)702-401-5570.

You should contact me immediately as soon as you receive this letter. Pls contact me back on
my private email address:(johnwatson1230@msn.com) Trusting to hear from you immediately.

Yours Faithfully,
John S. Watson
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Chevron Corporation
Email:johnwatson1230@msn.com

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam