419 scam: "WESTERN UNION HOLDINGS INC" <western@union.com> Contact us immediately for your payment .

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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:
- "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. )
- "money gram" (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. )
- "hundred thousand united states 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)
- "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)
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.
- +2348068684400 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "WESTERN UNION HOLDINGS INC" <western@union.com>
Reply-To: wumt11@qatar.io
Date: Tue, 31 May 2011 16:20:12 +0800 (PHT)
Subject: Contact us immediately for your payment .

WESTERN UNION HOLDINGS INC.
WEBSITE: WWW.WESTERNUNION.COM

Dear Valued Client,

We officially write you this mail as a result of our just concluded
findings regarding you and the Fraudsters who victimized you as they in
return ripped you off your hard earned money as a result of false promises
that you do have some fund with them, however, we have partially and
unknowingly been in line to have helped you remit your fund to this
Fraudsters without due investigation which at most times are not
appreciated by most of our Customers who intend to send money abroad, but
yet, we still accept the fault as it is our duty to be interested in the
safety of our patronizing Customers which you happen to be one of them.

The Global Crime Fighting Committee along with Money Transfer Companies,
which also included Money Gram (MG) had instructed that this process of
Reparation be carried out to all Victims, as a medium of showing how much
we care about you and feel concerned and pity for your great lost. To this
extent, we have been mandated to pay you the sum of $200,000.00 (Two
Hundred Thousand United States Dollars Only), which is intended to be sent
to you via Western Union on a daily basis of $5,000 for a whole month till
the total fees is remitted. For further enquiry, you are advised to
respond to this mail.

Please to help us issue this payment to you, we urge that you detail us
with your Pick-up details such as;

Receiver's Full Names
Receiver's Full Address
Receiver's Direct Phone Number
Receiver's Country
Receiver's Occupation

This data's are needed because we need to have them filed and also to have
it presented to the Global Crime Fighting Committee for confirmation of
Reparation. Please after this, we'll urge you to be very careful when
dealing with people you have never met and be conscious of letting out
your hard earned money too., As we hope and pray that you'll learn from
your mistakes and seize to fall into such trap with your Reparation Prize,
however, kindly contact the below person who is in position to release
your payment to you.

MR. Paul Morgan.
western union department
E-mail: (wumt11@qatar.io)
Tel: (+234-806-868-4400)

This Reparation prize valued at $200,000.00 only attracts the sum of $89
to be paid as the dispensation fees, once this is received, there shall be
no further demands from you, and that will be all you need do to get you
fund along with the required information above. NB: Please be informed
that this is no kind of a joke, and that this mail is only and strictly
intended to those who are willing to be Compensated as we do not hope to
get response if you are not ready to ad held to this processing as been
stipulated by the Western Union Board of Directives. So, be advised to
response back with the perspective of sending down your details and be
prepared to settle the processing cost, for without this, your mail will
not be treated.

Sincerely,
Dr. Micheal Martins.
Western Union Dept.
Washington, U.S.A.
www.westernunion.com

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam