419 scam: "Vincent Reynolds"<vincent

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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:
- "million pounds" (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)
- "there is no risk involved" (almost true for the criminal trying to scam you - arrests of online criminals are rare)
- "@lawyer.com" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
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.
- +447053825146 (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.
- vincent.reynolds@lawyer.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Vincent Reynolds" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <vincent.reynolds@lawyer.com>
Date: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 10:08:15 -0800
Subject: LEGAL CLAIM

Hello,

It is good to be in contact with you, I believe you will read this email carefully and understand with me, as this will be a mutual benefit to both of us. I am Vincent Reynolds Senior lawyer in Thompsons Solicitors based in London. I am the private Lawyer to a deceased client who bears similar name with you.

My late client who bears the same name with you had a wife named Rose and two children, her daughter named Elizabeth 10 years and a son named Lawrence 16 years. My late client had a fatal accident with his family on March 7, 2012 and his son happens to be the only survival though he was seriously injured.

After the tragedy my late client had £7 million (Seven million pounds) sitting in his bank account here in London making his son the only next of kin to inherit all his fortunes.

Unfortunately, on the 4th of December 2012 Lawrence the only son died in the hospital after suffering from Leukaemia (Cancer of the blood). Since the death of Lawrence there is no one to inherit the (Seven million pounds), due to the fact that every member of the family is dead. The late father and his late mother was an orphan and had no relative here in London,

Now the directors of the bank where the money was deposited are asking me to provide next of kin for the payment of this money or forfeit the money as an abandoned fund after the given period.
So therefore, I am looking for a honest person who have a similar name with my deceased clients. I need someone who is sincere and whom i can trust in order to present to the bank to put up a claim as a next of kin of my late clients so the £7 million can be transferred to the person and we can both share the fund accordingly.

This is the reason why i am contacting you as you bear the same last name with my deceased client and all the funds will be transferred to you. I want you to know this is very possible legally, there is no risk involved and the transfer will be done legally.

I have all the documents that will give you the legal right to make this claim. And I also guarantee you that the transfer of the seven million pounds to you will be done under a legitimate arrangement that will protect us from any breach of law. I want you to also know that i am a very reputable lawyer that works with a Thompsons solicitors and I will not engage myself or do anything that will tarnish my integrity or destroy my years of service as an attorney.

You have nothing to worry about, if you agree with me the fund will be transferred to you and we will share it 50/50%. All i want from you is your honesty and trust. I want you to know that if nobody comes to claim the fund then the bank will claim it and I don’t want that to happen.

Please kindly reply me if you agree with me, my email is (vincent.reynolds@lawyer.com) and my number is +44-705-382-5146. Send me your telephone line and kindly treat this with a high level of confidentiality.

Best regards,
Vincent Reynolds
Thompsons Solicitors
Congress House
23-28 Great Russell St
London, WC1B 3LW

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam