419 scam: "Mr. David Atkinson" <info@lee.com> Unpaid Funds...

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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:
- "accredited attorney" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
- "attorneys " (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
- "certified bank draft" (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. David Atkinson" <info@lee.com>
Reply-To: <attorneydavidatkinson@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 30 May 2018 06:26:57 +0800
Subject: Unpaid Funds...

Attention:

RE: UNITED NATIONS COMPENSATION COMMISSION PAY OUT CATEGORY â€œCâ€

I would like to officially inform you that after the overall verification claims of unpaid funds submitted to The United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) for endorsement, your name was endorsed for onward payment of your long awaited funds. We also apologize for the inconvenience you passed through in the quest to get your funds across to you without any success.

The payment is being made in accordance with the Governing Council's decision 227, which extended the temporary payment mechanism set out by the Governing Council in its decision 197, under which up to USD200 million from the Compensation Fund will be made available for the payment of claims every quarter.

Since The United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) do not deal directly with customers in respect of remittance of any sort of funds, I was contracted as one of their Accredited Attorneys to assist and direct the remittance of your funds to you. The sum of USD1,170,000.00 [One Million, One Hundred and Seventy Thousand US Dollars] has been endorsed for immediate remittance in your favor.

A Certified Bank Draft will be endorsed in your name with the total sum. As soon as I confirm receipt of your response, I will reconfirm and submit your details to the Financial Institution that has been endorsed to remit your Certified Bank Draft to the nominated address you will provide to me.

I await your swift response.

You can find more information at: https://www.un.org/press/en/2005/ik486.doc.htm

Yours truly,

David Atkinson
LEGAL ACCREDITED ATTORNEY (UNCC)
Phone: +1 409-224-8559

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam