419 scam: Schneider <w16@westernunion579.onmicrosoft.com> 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:
- "western union" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "mtcn" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "claims office" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
- "hundred thousand united states dollars" (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)
- "00,000.00" (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)
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!
Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.

Fraud email example:

From: Schneider <w16@westernunion579.onmicrosoft.com>
Reply-To: <harryschneider24@aim.com>
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2014 01:11:49 +0100
Subject: Beneficiary

Dear Western Union Beneficiary,
UNITED NATIONS PAYMENT NOTIFICATION.
We wish to inform you that the United Nations (UN) has authorized us to re=
mit to you a total amount of $500,000.00, (Five Hundred Thousand United
States Dollars).
Your Cash prize was paid out to us by the United Nations, and they have su=
ccessfully succeeded in depositing your whole funds with us Here at Western=
Union Italy.
They have now ordered us to take full responsibility in the transfer proce=
ss of your funds and thus commence the immediate remittance of your funds t=
o you.
Be duly informed that because of our Western Union transfer policy, your f=
unds will be paid to you via our Western Union Daily Transfer limit of $5,6=
00.00 USD.
This means that you will Continuously receive a daily amount of $5,600.00 =
USD, and this amount Can be collected from any of our numerous Western Unio=
n outlets in your current location.
To begin the claims process of your daily payment as stated above, you are=
require to provide us with the following;
Your Full Name:
Address:
Phone Number:
Upon the receipt of the above mentioned details, your first transaction wi=
ll be activated and we shall then Proceed to provide you with the Money Tra=
nsfer Control Number (MTCN) for the First instalment and we will continue t=
o email you others after 12 hours of Receiving each payment.
For more information on your payment status;
Contact our claims officer with the information below.
Mr Schneider.
OR call our 24 hours Helpline +39 366 195 9222 for any inquiries on the ab=
ove message.
Yours truly,
Angela Fabio.
For: Western Union Italy.
WESTERN UNION. Over 380,000 Outlets Worldwide.

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Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam