419 scam: "Mark Harris"<harris.mark207@gmail.com> Mutual Benefit

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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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
- "uk national lottery" (can only win this lottery if you bought a ticket)
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- ",000,000" (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)
- "deadline" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "there is no risk involved" (almost true for the criminal trying to scam you - arrests of online criminals are rare)
- "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
This email message is a fake lottery scam. Consider the following facts about real lotteries:
1. They don't notify winners by email.
2. You can't win without first buying a lottery ticket.
3. They don't randomly select email addresses to award prizes to.
4. They don't use free email accounts (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) to communicate with you.
5. They don't tell you to call a mobile phone number.
6. They don't tell you to keep your winnings secret.
7. They will never ask a winner to pay any fees to receive a prize!

Fraud email example:

From: "Mark Harris" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <m_harris_009@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 15:34:30 -0800
Subject: Mutual Benefit

Hello!,

Good day to you, I am Mark Harris, a citizen of the United Kingdom. I work with National Lottery Commission and Camelot Group PLC, "the official monitoring body and the operator of the UK National Lottery".

I have a proposal for you which will be of our mutual benefit. I wish to seek your assistance so that the total sum of £1,000,000(One Million Great Britain Pounds Sterling) can be paid to you by the National Lottery for our mutual benefit. The said amount is a winning lottery prize wish I played and won; the wining prize result has been published over four month ago and since then, I have been unable to claim it due to the following reason.

1. I am not entitled to benefit from a lottery draws because I am a staff of the National Lottery Commission.
2. My family members is not entitled to partake or benefit from a National Lottery draw.
3. I cannot use a friend to claim this funds because I am afraid of any future blackmail.
4. I can only lodge and invest this fund outside of the UK when claimed because I would be question regarding the source of the fund if I utilize it in the UK.

With regards to the above, I decided to get a foreigner to assist me. Hence I contacted you. I wish to front you for the claim as the winner of the prize because there is a claim deadline of 180 days (six months) for the claim of this prize; which means that, after the deadline of 180 days, this funds will be forfeited and sent to the UK. Government treasure if left unclaimed. The National Lottery has returned huge unclaimed prizes to the UK Good Cause since its inception. This is because the winners failed to come for the claim within the 180 days deadline.
You can find news about forfeited prizes by visiting the BBC news and the lottery post link below so that you confirm and believe what I am saying:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-18550580

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-18539165

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17415812

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/south_yorkshire/4573760.stm

http://www.lotterypost.com/news/104653

I hereby seek your consent to cooperate with me so that I can provide you the winning information that won the prize funds of £1,000,000 to enable you apply for the claim of the funds as the winner. I shall reward you with 50% of this funds. The important thing here is that we shall meet face to face before this prize will be paid to you. I believe this will increase your trust in this project and make you put in your all to work with me. There is no risk involved if you work with me because the prize is legal and there will be no trace that you are not the real winner/owner of the prize. The National Lottery will issue you some backup documents alongside the prize cheque as a proof of the genuine source of this fund. This way you will not be questioned by any authority about the origin of the fund. I have mapped out all plans to ensure you claim this funds without any trace in the future. All I require from you is your honesty, confidentiality, trust, sincerity and dedication then this prize money could be

I look forward to your quick response while thanking you for your anticipated co-operation.

Best regards,
Mark Harris

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam