419 scam: "Mr. Dan West." <officefile--9595@att.net> Dear Beneficiary,

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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:

The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "dear beneficiary," (this SPAM email was probably sent to thousands of people)
- "cotonou" (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.
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.
- +22999002456 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)
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.
- infobrscrmutualonlin@cooltoad.com (Cooltoad; can be used from anywhere worldwide)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. Dan West." <officefile--9595@att.net>
Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2011 05:14:45 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Dear Beneficiary,

Attn

Dear Beneficiary,

This is to officially inform you that, your long awaited Inheritance/compensation fund with the Central Bank Benin have been approved today after a board meeting with the board of directors and we have agreed to release your payment of 1.5M USD via swift Telegraphic transfer mode of payment.

Kindly contact Mr. Daniel. Yovo. Director, Foreign Operations through the email address stated below inform them about this notification letter and the transfer of your fund;

Bank name: Banque Regionale de Solidarite Benin S.A.

Address: 01 BP 097, 144, Ave. Van Vollen Hoven,

Cotonou, Republic of Benin.

Tel/Fax: +229 - 9900 - 2456

Email: infobrscrmutualonlin@cooltoad.com /

Contact: Mr. Daniel. Yovo.

Director, Foreign Operations.

Regards,

Mr.Dan West.

Executive Directors

Ministry Of Finance Republic of Benin,

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam