419 scam: "Tomos Smith (Esq.)"<tomos_smith01@hotmail.com> Good Day,

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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:
- "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "million british pounds" (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)
- ",000,000" (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.
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.
- +447024027833 (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.
- tomos_smith1@hotmail.com (Hotmail; can be used from anywhere worldwide)
- the desk of :tomos smith (esq.) email:tomos_smith1@hotmail.com tel: +447024027833 good day, this is a personal email directed to you (Hotmail; can be used from anywhere worldwide)

Fraud email example:

From: "Tomos Smith (Esq.)" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <tomos_smith@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:38:42 -0700
Subject: Good Day,

>From the desk of :Tomos Smith (Esq.)

Email:tomos_smith1@hotmail.com
Tel: +447024027833
Good Day,

This is a personal email directed to you and I request that it be treated as such. I must solicit your confidentiality and assure you that I am contacting you in good faith and this proposal will be of mutual benefit. I am Tomos Smith, a solicitor at law. I am the personal attorney/sole executor to a client of mine, who died along with his family in a plane crash on July 4th 2002.

My late client a formal Sub-Comptroller working with Chevron Texaco Oil here in the United Kingdom and had Left behind a deposit of Sixteen Million British Pounds Sterling only (£16,000,000.00) with a bank. After the death of my client, the finance company contacted me, as his attorney to provide his next of kin who should inherit his fortune this according to them is their policy in sure circumstances.

Since the death of my client, I have written several letters to the embassy with intent to locate any of his extended relatives whom shall be claimants/beneficiaries of his abandoned personal estate and all such efforts have been to no avail. I had to inform the finance company about my fruitless effort in locating my late client's close relative or his next of kin.

The board of directors of the finance company now adopted a resolution and I was mandated to provide his next of kin for the payment of this money or forfeit the money as an abandoned fund. The company had planned to invoke the abandoned property decree of 1996 to confiscate the funds after the expiration of the period given to me but after an investigation in the finance company, I found out that some members of the company wants to divert this fund into their private accounts for their own selfish interest and only want, to use the excuse that since I am not able to look for some one to make the claim, the money should be made unserviceable and that means submitting the fund to the federal government of this country and some to the company management which is not their main intentions.

By virtue of my closeness to the deceased and his immediate family, I am very much aware of my client's financial standing. I do sincerely sympathize the death of my client, but had thought it unprofitable for his funds to be submitted to the federal government of this country and the finance company where it is lodged. I have reasoned very professionally and I feel it will be legally proper to present you as the next of kin of my deceased client which is legally possible and would be done in accordance with the laws of the land.

On this note I decided to search for a credible person and finding that you bear a similar last name, I was urged to contact you, that I may, with your consent, present you to the "trustee" bank as my late client's surviving family member so as to enable you put up a claim to the bank in that capacity as a next of kin of my client, so that the proceeds of this Bank Account valued at SIXTEEN MILLIONPOUNDS ONLY (£16,000,000.00) can be paid to you and then both of us can share the money, I know there might be other persons out there with the same surname as my late client, but after a little check my instinct tells me to contact you. Can I trust you on this? I shall assemble all the necessary documents that will be used to back up your claim.

I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of law. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this proposal is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any fears as the required arrangements have been made for the completion of this transfer Like I said, I require only a solemn confidentiality on this.

Please get in touch with me by my alternative email: tomos_smith@hotmail.com for further details. Upon the receipt of your reply,

I will send you an e-mail the next step to take. If this proposal is acceptable by you, do not take undue advantage of the trust I have bestowed in you.

Thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely,
Tomos Smith(Esq.)
Tel Number:+447024027833
Email:tomos_smith1@hotmail.com
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