419 scam: "Mr. Donald Reynolds."<mass@ucla.edu> complement of the season

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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "i will like you to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "million 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)
- "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal trying to scam you - arrests of online criminals are rare)
- "abuja" (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.
This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
- +2349090115164 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: <donaldrey2015@ inbox.lv>
Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2017 12:20:31 +0100
Subject: complement of the season

From: Mr. Donald Reynolds Senior Auditor Foreign Remittance Unit United Bank for Africa, Abuja. Dear Friend, I must say that I have enormous respect for you considering the manner in which I have made contact with you. I am Mr. Donald Reynolds, the senior Auditor In charge of Foreign Remittance Unit, United Bank for Africa, Abuja. I have a business which will benefit both of us, The amount of money involved is ($15.5 Million Dollars) which i want to transfer from an abandoned account to your bank account; it is 100% risk free. After the end of the business, We shall agree that { 40% } Forty Percent will be for you in respect of all your assistance for this transaction and { 60% } Sixty- Percent will be for me being the pioneer of the business. I sent you this mail knowing full well what the consequences of my actions and not without a measure of fear, but I know within me that nothing ventured is nothing gained and that success and riches never come easy or on a platter of gold. You have to work real hard and sometimes take chances as they come. This could be a retirement bonus for us both though it depends on your decision. I have evaluated the risks and the only risk I have here is from you refusing to work with me. I am the only one who knows of this situation and now you are second. Therefore, if my offer is of no appeal to you, delete this message and forget I ever contacted you. I will like you to provide immediately the below information's, to enable me use it and get you next of kin application form from my bank. 1. Full Name:_________________ 2.Full Address:_______________ 3.Telephone Number:_________ 4.Country:__________________ 5.Occupation:_______________ 6.Age:______________________ 7.Sex:______________________ As soon as you reply, I will let you know the next steps and procedures and more details to follow in order to finalize this transaction immediately. Yours Sincerely, Mr. Donald Reynolds. Tel:+234 909 011 5164.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam