419 scam: "Michael Ponton"<m.ponton1@yahoo.com.hk> Best regards

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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.
This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "Michael Ponton" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <m.ponton2@yahoo.com.hk>
Date: Wed, 9 Mar 2011 16:16:40 -0800
Subject: Best regards

Attention,

I'm not sure you received my previous messages, now this information needs urgent attention hence I'm writing you once again.

I'm contacting you for a personal investigation concerning my deceased client who bears the same surname with you. He died in a fatal car accident alongside his family in 2005, and the management of his bank is at the verge of closing his account due to it's dormant status.

I have been issued a notice to provide an extended next of kin of my deceased client or have the account confiscated within the next 21 banking days.

I am his attorney and personal assistant, but I'm constrained to give detailed information at this point for security reasons. And I'm making this effort because I will be disappointed to see the labour of my deceased client been confiscated.

So kindly get back to me immediately and let me know more about yourself and your relationship with the decaesed, and I will be glad to give you a comprehensive details in my subsequent email.

Best regards,
Michael Ponton

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam