419 scam: "Teresa Sun" <teresa@stkc.com.tw> From the desk of: Dr. John Obi, Attention: Legal Beneficiary.

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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)
- "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
- "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- "uba.atm.dept@qatar.io" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
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.
- +2347051888590 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "Teresa Sun" <teresa@stkc.com.tw>
Reply-To: uba.atm.dept@qatar.io
Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:02:12 +0800
Subject: From the desk of: Dr. John Obi, Attention: Legal Beneficiary.

>From The Desk of
Mr. Phillips Oduoza, GMD/CEO
of United Bank for Africa Plc
UBA House 57, Marina Lagos Nigeria.
Email: uba.atm.dept@qatar.io
TELEPHONE: +2347051888590

>From the desk of: Dr. John Obi
Director UBA ATM Department.

Attention: Legal Beneficiary,

We wish to acknowledge the receipt of your payment approval from the presidency and the
Federal Ministry of Finance, in respect with the provision act of decree 114 of the
1999 constitution. I am directed to inform you that your payment verification and
confirmation has been approved.

It is my pleasure to inform you that UBA ATM Master Card has been activated and
upgraded for delivery in your favor. And your Personal Secret withdrawal PIN Number is
8342.

Be further informed that a maximum withdrawal value of US$10,500.00 USD is permitted on
withdrawal per day. And you can make withdrawal in any Inter Switch location and ATM
Centre of your choice in the world.

Note that the ATM Card Value is $3.5 Million USD Only. And the ATM CARD has been
submitted to the authorized Courier Company for delivery to your destination address
immediately they confirm the below information to avoid wrong delivery of your payment.
And your ATM CARD withdrawal PIN code is not included in the parcel i submitted to the
courier company for
security purpose.

You are advised to confirm your information's as follow:

Full Name: ............
Direct Telephone Number..............
Physical Address.....................
Occupation..........................
Country.............................
State................................
Sex..............................
Age................................

Yours Sincerely,
Dr. John Obi Director UBA ATM Department.
Mr. Phillips Oduoza, GMD/CEO.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam