419 scam: I Need Your Coopration

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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:
- "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)
- "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)
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.
- abdualzaruni@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From:
Reply-To: <abdualzaruni@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 18 Dec 2016 17:23:01 -0800
Subject: I Need Your Coopration

Dear Sir
I am sorry to contact you unannounced through this medium. I am Mr. Abdulkarim Alzarouni, Deputy General Manager-Audit & Compliance at National Bank of Abu Dhabi here in UAE . I write you this proposal in good faith hoping that I will rely on you . In 2006,
one Mr. Omar Gerard who has same surname as yours and who has your country in his file as his place of origin, made a fixed deposit for 36 calendar months, valued at $18,400,000.00 with my bank. I was his account officer before I rose to the position of the auditor general now. The maturity date for this deposit contract was 16th of January 2009. Unfortunately, while on a business trip , he died in a deadly earthquake that occurred on May 12, 2008 in Sichuan province of China which killed at least 68,000 people.
Since the last quarter of 2009 until today,the management of my bank have been finding a means to reach him so as ascertain if he will
want to roll over the Deposit or have the contract sum withdraw . Since September 2009,when I discovered that this will happen , I learnt of his death ,so I have tried to think up a procedure to preserve this fund and use the proceed for charity .
Some directors here have been trying to find out from me the information about this account and the owner, but I have kept it closed because, I know that if they become aware that Mr Omar is now late, they will corner the funds for themselves. Therefore, I am seeking your co-operation to present you as the one to benefit from his fund at his death since you have the same name, so that my bank head quarters will pay the funds to you. I have done enough inside bank arrangement and will only have to put in your details into the information network in the bank computers and reflect you as his next of kin.
I am not a greedy person, so I am suggesting we share the funds equal,50/50% to both parties My share will assist me to start a charity organization to help the poor and also own a company which has been my dream. Let me know your mind on this and please do treat this information as TOP SECRET. At the receipt of your reply, strictly through my
personal email address, abdualzaruni@gmail.com I will give you details of the transaction. And a copy of the Deposit certificate of the fund and also the incorporation certificate of the company that generated the fund.
Anticipating your communication.
Mr Abdulkarim Alzarouni

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam