419 scam: Ken Lookman <k.lookmaan@live.com> Hello My Dear Good Friend.

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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:
- "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "hundred thousand us 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))
- "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
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.
- +22996391395 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: Ken Lookman <k.lookmaan@live.com>
Reply-To: klookman@cooltoad.com
Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2011 21:26:58 +0800 (CST)
Subject: Hello My Dear Good Friend.

From the Desk of Mr. Ken Lookman
The manager of bill and exchange
African Development Bank,
Cotonou Benin Republic (West Africa).
REMITTANCE OF (US$8.5. Million) CONFIDENTIAL IS THE CASE.

Hello My Dear Good Friend,

I am the manager of bill and exchange at the foreign remittance department in the African Development Bank ( A.D.B ). In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of US$8.5m dollars (EIGHT MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND US DOLLARS) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer (MR. ANDREAS SCHRANNER from Munich, Germany) who died along with his entire family on (Monday 31st July 2000) 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 to come over and claim his money because we cannot release it unless some body applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking gildings and laws but unfortunately we learnt that all 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 and a Benin indigene cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner.

I agree that 30% 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 business and 60% would be for me There after, 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 apply first 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.

You should contact me immediately as soon as you receive this letter. Trusting to hear from you immediately.

Trusting to hear from you immediately.

Yours Faithfully,

Mr.Ken Lookman
+229-96391395

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