419 scam: "Mr. William John Cole" <test@esquirebd.com> Hello,

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:
- "western union" (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. )
- "money gram" (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. )
- "inheritance funds" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
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.
- colejwilliam@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. William John Cole" <test@esquirebd.com>
Reply-To: colejwilliam@gmail.com
Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2018 23:51:03 -0800
Subject: Hello,

WORLD BANK INVESTIGATORS

Regional Investigation Office: 20 Bronkhorst Street, Nieuw Muckleneuk, Pretoria, South Africa

Sir,

RE: PENDING PAYMENT

I am Mr. William John Cole, head of a team of World Bank Investigators on special assignment. We are currently at the African Regional Office in South Africa. Subsequent to the series of complaints against unscrupulous officials and miscreants because of inconclusive payments and financial misconducts, a team of World Bank Investigators has been constituted and mandated to investigate cases of extortion of money. Cases we are handling include supposedly pending contract payments, inheritance funds, supposedly unpaid lottery sums, dating deceptions, etc We are working in conjunction with the police (INTERPOL), a team of Lawyers, Insurance Companies, Western Union Money Transfer, Money Gram, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and representatives of Banks. We have limited time to carry out our assignment in South Africa.

From the records at our disposal, you are being owed. You MUST CONVINCE us with enough proof that you are a victim of extortion by the unscrupulous officials and miscreants. After investigations and ratifications, you will be paid fully or paid only compensation for losses incurred. At the moment, some miscreants/culprits have been apprehended. Your full co-operation is needed, as we deal with your case. For urgent attention on your case, reconfirm the following: Full Name, Age, Address, Telephone Number and amount owed via email: colejwilliam@gmail.com

Our assignment needs a very tactical and intelligent approach. To ensure our efforts are not jeopardized and compromised, you are advised to remain very discreet and confidential for the short period of treating your case. We will hands-off your case if you continue to correspond with any other office or official.

Yours Sincerely

Mr. William John Cole

World Bank Investigation Coordinator

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam