419 scam: Dr Simon Williams <mrsimon.williams@yahoo.com> (CONGRATULATION)

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:
- "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
This email message is a "New Partner from Paraguay" 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.
- +22998290235 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: Dr Simon Williams <mrsimon.williams@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: mrsimonwilliams46@yahoo.fr
Date: Sat, 25 Jun 2011 08:05:07 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: (CONGRATULATION)

(CONGRATULATION)

I'm happy to inform you about my success in getting those funds transferred under the cooperation of a new partner from Monaco in Paris. Presently i'm in Monaco for investment projects with my own share of the total money. meanwhile,i didn't forget your past efforts and attempts to assist me in transferring the funds despite that it failed me and the family some how. Now contact my secretary in Republic of benin Cotonou his name is Mr.Gilliard Smith, through his e-mail (gilliard_smith@ymail.com) or his telephone number (+229-98290235) ask him to send you the total of $850,000 United States dollars which i kept for your compensation for all the past efforts and attempts to assist me in this matter and for the evaglical work. I appreciated your efforts at that time very much.

So feel free and get intouched with my secretary Mr.Gilliard Smith,
and instruct him where to send the amount to you. Please do let me know immediately you receive it so that we can share the joy after all the sufferness at that time. In the moment, I?m very busy here because of the investment projects which me and the new partner are having at hand.

Finally, remember that I had forwarded instruction to my secretary on your behalf to receive that money, so feel free to get in touch with him Mr.Gilliard Smith, he will send the amount to you without any delay.

God Bless,

Dr Simon Williams.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam