419 scam: "Mr. John Morris" <jevizuemmanuel@gmail.com> Attention Esteemed;Email owner,

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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. )
- "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)
- "ecowas " (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
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: "Mr. John Morris" <jevizuemmanuel@gmail.com>
Reply-To: "Mr. John Morris" <westernunionservic@qq.com>
Date: Sun, 5 Jul 2015 04:54:28 +0900 (JST)
Subject: Attention Esteemed;Email owner,

Attention Esteemed;Email owner,

It is my pleasure to inform you that after the proper verifications on your payment file, the Ecowas Board of West Africa States, has granted us their approvals and clearance in your favor to release your payment of US$4.800, 000.00 (Four Million Eight Hundred Thousand United States Dollars Only). And we equally wish to inform you that we have also finalized our indoor formalities regarding the wire transfer of your outstanding fund to your accurate address.

So you are now entitled to start receiving $8,000,00,each MTCN is $4,000,00,MTCN# 749-822-8845/MTCN# 338-839-8823,on a daily basis, take noted that your fund is real and legitimate,for more brief and clarification according to above mentioned fund is available in your favor, for your more notification, I am hereby try to give you the best service, furthermore, all the details information concerning below fund worth $4.800,000 has been registered for you to start receiving those available MTCN as from tomorrow, in any western union outlet in your country.

Please, from the roots of our signature telegram business, we expanded and evolved our services in 1871 to offer electronic money transfer. Today, Western Union Money Transfer offers money order, money transfer, payment and prepaid services. While the telegram is a memory, we continue a long history of connecting people around the corner and around the globe with financial services that are fast, reliable and convenient, however, you need to send us total sum of $86, immediately, in order to use it activate and renew your payment MTCN, before you can start receiving the fund $8,000 daily payment as it stated.

Mr. John Morris
General Director
Western union Management COTONOU-Benin

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam