419 scam: "Janta Sheriff" <wed2info@att.net> RE

joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet

Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days

Home

About Us

Spam

419/Nigeria

Fraud

Contact

"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:
- "million 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)
- "your urgent reply" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "there is no risk involved" (almost true for the criminal trying to scam you - arrests of online criminals are rare)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "Janta Sheriff" <wed2info@att.net>
Reply-To: <jantasherriff@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:54:52 +0100
Subject: RE

Hello

Compliment of the season and happy new year to you and your family. It's my noble pleasure writing you today, as I wish to share this great business opportunity with you, in full trust and confidence that, it will mark the beginning of a life lasting relationship between you and me. My name Janta Sheriff. Am an account supervisor in AMA-BANK, here in Ghana.

Nonetheless, I wish to inform you that, a client/customer to our bank, who is a old-Merchant and share the same surname with you, made a fixed deposit of US$100 Million dollars in an escrow account in our bank on 16th March 2007 and since then I have been managing/monitoring the account as his personal account officer.

On 9th of June 2009, he made me to understand that, he will going to his mining site at Kumasi, unfortunately he was involved in auto (car)accident on Accra-Kumasi express way and died at the spot. Since, then I have tried my possible best to locate any of his relative, because when he made the deposit, he did not declare any next of kin and by my personal investigation, he has no child. In view of this and by the bank regulations, if no one put a claim for the release of the fund, after 5yrs, the fund will be diverted to the bank treasury.

However, I write to seek your co-operation, so that i can present you to the bank as the hire next of kin to the customers, since i have all the necessary information/document to back up the claims. Indeed, there is no risk involved and I want to assure you that everything will be executed under my supervision.

If you are interested, do get back to me, to enable me furnish you with more details. I look forward to receive your urgent reply.

Best regards
Janta Sherif.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam