419 scam: "Mrs. Mary Prescott" <irsusa01@gmail.com> Re: I warmly greet you..............

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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:

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:
- "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)
- "god fearing " (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
This email message is a "dying widow" 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.
- mrs.prescott02@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mrs. Mary Prescott" <irsusa01@gmail.com>
Reply-To: "Mrs. Mary Prescott" <mrs.prescott02@gmail.com>,
mrs.prescott02@gmail.com
Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2023 11:51:23 +0100
Subject: Re: I warmly greet you..............

Dear beloved friend,

Greetings in the name of God Please let this not sound strange to you for my only surviving lawyer who would have done this died earlier this year.

I prayed and got your email id from the internet. I am Mrs. Mary Prescott from London, I am 59 years old, and I am suffering from a long time cancer of the lungs which also affected my brain. From all indication my conditions is really deteriorating and it is obvious according to my doctors, they have advised me that I have few months to live, this is because the cancer has gotten to a very bad stage.

I was brought up from a motherless baby's home and was married to my late husband Egnr. Steve Prescott for twenty years without a child, my husband died in a fatal motor accident before his death we were true believers. Since his death I decided not to re-marry, I sold all my estate/ belongings and deposited all the sum of $10million dollars with a Bank.

Presently, this money is still with the bank and the management just wrote me to come forward with a heir to administer my money because they have kept it for so long or I should rather issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my behalf since I cannot come over because of my illness or they get it confiscated.

Presently, I'm with my laptop in a hospital here in London where I have been undergoing treatment for cancer of the lungs. My doctors have told me that I have only a few months to live. It is my last wish to see that this money is invested in an organization of your choice and distributed each year among the charity organization, the poor and the motherless baby's home.

I want you as a God fearing person, to also use this money to fund Church, Mosque, Orphanages and Widows; I took this decision, before I rest in peace because my time will soon be up.

As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the Bank. I will also issue you a letter of authority that will prove you as the new beneficiary of my fund.

Provide me with your information so I can send it to the bank as the new beneficiary and issue you a letter of authorization.

FULL NAMES:__________SEX: _____ AGE: ______MARITAL STATUS:_______________COUNTRY: ______CONTACT ADDRESS: ________________________PHONE NO#___________FAX NO#_________________OCCUPATION:______________.

Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein, Hoping to hear from you soonest.

Your friend in Christ,
Mrs. Mary Prescott
(London United Kingdom)
E-mail: mrs.prescott02@gmail.com

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam