419 scam: michael@maweinstein.com Greeting

joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet

Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days

Home

About Us

Spam

419/Nigeria

Fraud

Contact

"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:
- "necessary legal documents" (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. )
- "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)
- "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)
- "% will be for you" (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)
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.
- mrblethabo@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: michael@maweinstein.com
Reply-To: mrblethabo@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 08 May 2018 02:52:10 +0200
Subject: Greeting

Hello! I hope you are fine and blessed this day?

Kindly accept my apology for sending unsolicited mail to you. I believe you are a highly respected personality, considering the fact that I sourced your profile from a human resource profile database on your country.

Though,I do not know to what extent you are familiar with events. Well, I am a banker one of the major banks in my country. I am the Personal Banker to Mr. Hans Wolfaardt , who used to be a top investor and a physician here in my country and other part of Africa. For confirmation of my email, you can view the website confirming the death of Mr. Hans
Wolfaardt and other South Africans: http://mg.co.za/article/2010-05-13-at-least-nine-south-africans-killed-in-libya-plane-crash

Late Mr.Hans Wolfaardt was originally from Deutschland and a South Africa citizen that leaved is entire life in Africa with property investments
worth more than 270 Million Dollars in Africa.

Since we were informed of the incident, I have made several inquiries to locate any of my client's relatives in South Africa all to no avail. I also decided to trace his relatives over the Internet to locate any member of his family in Europe but to no avail, hence, I contacted you to assist in
repatriating the money (Eighteen Million Five Hundred Thousand United
States Dollars) left behind by my late client in a three years term
investment account with my Bank.

The board of directors knows me very well as his personal banker and has asked me to present the next of kin to my late client for claim. Consequently, this Bank issued me a notice to provide the Next of Kin to claim the Eighteen Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars in their custody within the next ten official working days.

Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives since the incident, I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin to the deceased and officially apply for the claim with my assistance as an inside in a confidential manner. Upon receipt of the fund, I will come over to your country to meet with you for the disbursement of the fund and then you and I will share the money in this order: 60% will be for me, 40% will be for you.

I have all necessary legal documents that can back
our claim; all I require is your honest co-operation to enable us seeing
this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a
legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law.

Contact me back on my direct Email: mrblethabo@gmail.com urgent Please.

My regards,
Mr, Bandile Lethabo

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam