419 scam: "MARTINS WEBER" <herrawel@virgilio.it> 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)
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.
- jeroyfenyang@aim.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "MARTINS WEBER" <herrawel@virgilio.it>
Reply-To: jeroyfenyang@aim.com
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2014 21:43:23 -0400
Subject: DEAR FRIEND!!!

DEAR FRIEND!!!

My name is Mr.MARTINS WEBERE.I work in the credit and accounts department
in Standard Bank PLC of South Africa . I write you in respect of a foreign
customer with Domicilliary A/C number 6402356789. His name is Engineer
Peter Hartmann. He was among those who died in a plane crash some time
ago.

Sir,since the demise of this our customer, Engineer Peter Hartmann, who
was an oil merchant/contractor, I have kept a close watch of the deposit
records and accounts and since then no body has come to claim the money in
this a/c as next of kin to the late Engineer. He had only $18.5mllion in
his a/c and the a/c is coded. It is only an insider that could produce the
code or password of the deposit particulars. As it stands now, there is
nobody in that position to produce the needed information other than my
very self considering my position in the bank.

Based on the reason that nobody has come forward to claim the deposit as
next of kin, I hereby ask for your co operation in using your name as the
next of kin to the deceased to send these funds out to a foreign offshore
bank a/c for mutual sharing between myself and you. At this point I am the
only one with the information because I have removed the deposit file from
the safe . By so doing, what is required of you is to send an aplication
laying claims of the deposit as next of kin to the late Engineer. I will
need your full name and address telephone/fax number,company or
residential, also your bank name and account,where the money will transfer
into. So that i can computerize them totally with next of kin column in
the certificate of deposit.

Finally i want you to understand that the request for a foreigner as the
next of kin is occassioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner
and for that reason alone a local cannot represent as next of kin. When
you contact me, then we shall discuss on how the money will be split
between us. please kindly reply TO THIS EMAIL ADDRES (
jeroyfenyang@aim.com ) Trusting to hear from you,

I remain Respectfully yours,

Mr MARTINS WEBER

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam