419 scam: "Mr. Martin McCourt"<ttmails1656@gmail.com> DEAR 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:

An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "await your urgent response" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal trying to scam you - arrests of online criminals are rare)
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.
- +448719182603 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
- mm1656@accountant.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. Martin McCourt" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mm1656@blumail.org>
Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:23:07 -0800
Subject: DEAR FRIEND

Dear Friend,

I am seeking for your co-operation to present you to our financial institution as the Beneficiary to Late Mr. Phillip Carter's fund,he is a UK Entrepreneur who died in a aircraft with his son. please view the link for confirmation http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6614347.stm

Before his death, he was a Founder of training firm Carter & Carter. The company is now worth more than GBP500m Held shares worth GBP100m in Carter & Carter and has a bank balance with our financial institution to the tune of (Twenty Three Million, Five Hundred Thousand British Pounds sterling) which will be paid to you if you act as the Beneficiary. For your information, I am his account officer in our financial institution.

However, no outsider knows that he deposited the above fund in our financial institution. I am contacting you to ask for your co-operation to stand as the beneficiary of the fund to secure this deposit and invest it with you.

If nobody comes forward to claim the fund, it will be forfeited to the Government, based on that, I am contacting you to assist me in making this transaction a reality. I only have to arrange the proof documents and the fund will be paid to you as the beneficiary. We are to share this money between ourselves and also donate 10% to charity and the Haiti earthquake victims if you agree and if you are interested in this offer, please contact me immediately so we can proceed.

Note that this transaction is 100% risk free as I have mapped out all the modalities to follow and conclude it securely.

For details of this transaction and procedures, please do forward me your Full Name, Age, Marital Status and Address, Phone/Mobile Number, Your Company Name or Occupation, through my private email: mm1656@accountant.com Fax: +44-8719182603
The above information will enable me to secure all the legal documents in your favour.

I await your urgent response to enable us start this project and nurture it to reality.

Yours faithfully,

Mr. Martin McCourt
Marylebone, London
Tele/Fax: +44-8719182603
E-Mail: mm1656@accountant.com

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam