419 scam: "Mr. Michael Williams" <falmataa424@gmail.com> Business proposal Latter!

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:

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:
- "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)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. Michael Williams" <falmataa424@gmail.com>
Reply-To: infowilliams02@gmail.com
Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2023 13:27:37 +0100
Subject: Business proposal Latter!

My good friend,

My name is Mr. Michael Williams, I am a newly promoted Branch Manager of a
Bank here in Ghana, West Africa, I got your information during my internet
research.

It may interest you to know that I am a man of PEACE and I don't want
problems, I just hope we can help each other. If you do not want this
business offer, please forget about it as I will not contact you again.

I have packaged a financial transaction that will benefit both of us, as
the Branch Manager of the Bank, it is my duty to send a Financial Report to
my headquarters in the capital Accra at the end of each year.

In the course of the last year-end report 2022, I discovered that my branch
where I am a manager has made an excessive profit of [$12.5 million
dollars] that my headquarters does not know and will never know. I have
since placed this fund in a MISCELLANEOUS account.

As a bank employee, I cannot be directly linked to this money, so this
informed that I have contacted you to work together so that you can help me
and receive this fund in your bank account in your country to SHARE.

I am offering you 40% of the total fund while you keep 60% for me in your
bank account until I join you in your country to share/invest my own share
of the funds or better yet we can join a joint partnership venture, I
appreciate it very much.

Once I receive your reply I will give you more details on how we can
successfully reach you.

Sincerely,

Mr. Michael Williams

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam