419 scam: Mrs coll <coll6@collmm.onmicrosoft.com> MRS,COLLEEN

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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:
- "million us 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)
- "hundred thousand united state 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)
- "very confidential" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
This email message is a next of kin scam.
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.
- marriot.anderson@aol.com (AOL; can be used from anywhere worldwide)

Fraud email example:

From: Mrs coll <coll6@collmm.onmicrosoft.com>
Reply-To: <marriot.anderson@aol.com>
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 19:35:32 +0100
Subject: MRS,COLLEEN

Attention,

I am Mrs. Colleen the Administrative manager at a vault of financial & security Institute here in Madrid. I am contacting you regarding a financial opportunity I discovered here in our Bank. It's about an abandoned sum of 12.9 Million Us dollars (Twelve million nine hundred thousand United State dollars) in our safe deposit vault, that belongs to one of our foreign customers an international businessman, a citizen of your country that share the same surname with you, who died along with his entire family on the 11th march 2006 in a ghastly car accident in Porto Portugal.

The banking policy can only allow the release of such funds to a benefactor through an application as next of kin to the deceased. After his death, the bank has been expecting a possible beneficiary, but nobody came for the claim, this institute has exploited all its ethical possibilities in other to contact possible relation or inheritor, but no success. Since no one has come up since six years, I have made my own research with the help of private investigator, it is my knowledge that this man has been living in Barcelona for the past 19 years and has never returned back home. I also leant that his wife and 7 year old daughter died with him during this accident. I am almost 110% sure that no one is aware of the existence of these funds. However, because of the international financial crises, a lot of reform has been made within the Spanish financial system; this includes the new law on succession/claims which indicates a duration in which such inheritance could be tolerated.

The Bank of Spain has mandated our institute to release the funds to the inheritor, Failure to respond to this ultimatum would legally allow the Bank of Spain to confisticate these funds as unclaimed (Which of course would go straight to the Government's treasury). It is therefore upon this discovery that I have decided to contact you, I want you to know that I am a senior officer in this banking institution. As an insider, I am equiped with all classified secret information regarding the release of these funds. I would be dedicated to make sure i furnish you with all possible documentation and information required for the approval and release of these funds.

Upon your acceptance to cooperate, I agree that 30% of this money will be for you, 60% for me and 10% goes to any acceptable charity organization in Spain or your country. Please note that I have only discussed this with my husband. For time difference and confidential reasons, I strongly advice that you communicate with me via my husband's contact details as follows: Mr, Marriot Anderson. Email:marriot.anderson@aol.com, Immediately you get in touch with him, I would be able to inform you on how this could be concluded.

In conclusion, it's my concern to demand your ultimate honesty, co-operation and confidentiality to enable us conclude this transaction. Please keep this very confidential and do not discuss it with anybody. I GUARANTEE that this process would be executed under a legitimate arrangement that would legally protect you from any breach of law.

Best Regard,
Mrs. Colleen.

Anti-fraud resources:

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