419 scam: "WESTERN UNION" <info1@wumt.com> Merry christmas

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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:
- "activation 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. )
- "western union" (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. )
- "mtcn" (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. )
- "you are required 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)
- "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
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.
- +2347053400808 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "WESTERN UNION" <info1@wumt.com>
Reply-To: mtcn_dept@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2010 17:18:40 -0500 (COT)
Subject: Merry christmas

Attn: Beneficiary,

Be informed that your part-payment of (US$300,000.00) from International
Monetary Fund Unit (IMF) has been approved to transfer via our department
of Western Union, Meanwhile your urgent respond is highly needed with the
re-confirmation of your details where and how to receive your funds in our
office such as:

Your Name:................... Country:..............
State and City.............. Address..............
Telephone Number............ Age...........
Sex......... Occupation.........

Also the payment of US$9000.00 has already been made through Western Union
for you to pick it up, but due to the instruction we received from
International Monetary Fund Unit (IMF), You are required to pay sum of
(US$90.00) to activate your payment files and also to ensure you are the
right person to receive the fund. Upon reception of the Activation fee,
you can pick up the first transfer of US$9000.00

(M.T.C.N): 4961533658
Senders First Name: oviku
Senders Last Name: alassan
Question: WHO?
Answer: ME
Amount: $9,000.00 USD

Call all or email me once you picked up this $9,000 USD today. Here is
the western union information, you can also track it on-line at
https://wumt.westernunion.com for confirmation before going to their
office to pick up.

You can easily get back to us via email or telephone# for more details
while the amount you will be confirming daily is (US$9000.00) starting
from the day we receive the Activation fee. You are to use the name below
to send the Activation Fee via Western Union and send payment details to
this E-mail: mtcndept101@zoho.com

RECEIVER NAME.......Abu Augustine
COUNTRY......................VICTORIA, ISLAND, LAGOS NIGERIA
TEXT QUESTION..........GOOD
ANSWER.................GOD
SENDER NAME..............
MTCN.............

We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you.
Mr.Collins Moore
Tel: +234-705-3400-808
Email: mtcndept101@zoho.com
Manager Western Union Nigeria.

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Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam