419 scam: "Mrs Zhang"<mrsyuanzhang@gmail.com> GREETING FROM CHINA

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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:
- "to your nominated bank account" (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 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)
- "utmost confidentiality" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "top secret" (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.
- annzhang210@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mrs Zhang" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <annzhang210@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2016 20:23:30 -0700
Subject: GREETING FROM CHINA

Hello,

How are you? My name is Mrs Yuan Zhang ,Chairwoman of the Audit
Committee,Member of the Risk Committee and the Nomination &
Governance Committee of Bank of China here in Beijing. I
decided to seek a top secret and co-operation with you in the
execution of a transactions deal described here-under for our
benefit. During the annual bank audits, I discovered an
abandoned fund, sum total of $9,500.000.00, USD (Nine Million
Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) in an account
that belongs to one of our foreign customers Late:
Mr Mustapha Abdul who lost his life with the entire Family
on November 10th, 2001 in a tsunami that happened in Indonesia

I discovered that he did not specify any next of kin/will
beneficiary to his account after going through his file in our
bank. I deliberately seek your consent to present you as the
next of kin / will beneficiary to the deceased so that the sum
valued at $9,500.000.00, United State Dollars will
be transferred to you, which will be shared between both of us
in these percentage ratio: 60% for me and 40% to you
respectively.

I need your sincere co-operation; trust and utmost
confidentiality to enable us conduct this transaction
successfully. I assure and promise you that this transaction
will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will
protect you from any breach of the law both in your country
and here in China as the fund is transferred to your
nominated bank account. Upon consideration and acceptance of
this offer, kindly send the following information immediately
to my email contact for more confidentiality:
(annzhang210@gmail.com)

1. Your name: 2. Your contact address: 3. Your mobile number: 4. Your email:

To enable me upload your information in our bank database to
reflect in the bank network system that you are the named next
of kin/will beneficiary of this account, then I will guide you
on communication with the bank for onward transfer of this fund to you.

NOTE: We have just few banking days to execute this transaction.

Thanks

Mrs Zhang

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam