419 scam: "Kester"<diokester@gmail.com> Re: Valued information, change of bank beneficiary

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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:
- ",000,000" (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)
- "00,000.00" (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)
- "fund beneficiary" (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)
- "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
- +22898078165 (Togo, probably a prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "Kester" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <kesterdio@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 6 May 2024 11:13:52 -0400
Subject: Re: Valued information, change of bank beneficiary

Dear esteemed customer

Subject matters, Grant/Poverty Alleviation Fund Project, Phase 201, and order to change or remove your banking details and pay to your next of kin

Mr. Alex Yves, the manager of Lomé Union Depot, has contacted you, and due to the importance and urgency, I am contacting you again. Please work within the time line.

We received a new payment order dated April 19, 2024, to transfer the sum of $5,000,000.00 USD plus accrued interest of $50,000 USD, totaling $5,050,000.00 USD, to you. We sent two different email notifications to you a few weeks ago regarding this new development, and it's surprising that we haven't received any acknowledgement emails from you up until this time. I am sending you this email again as a reminder and to have your consent regarding the authorization letter we received from barrister Wang, Li, Zhang, and Liu with a copy of United States Passport No. 498206725 and was in the company of other counsels who undoubtedly claimed to be your representatives. I am requesting that you personally consent to this claim by barrister Wang, Li, Zhang, and Liu, who equally submitted a bank account with the HSBC Bank as your legally acceptable receiving bank details for the fund transfer. Please confirm the stated account details below, as we noticed that the account name is not your nam
e:

Bank Name: HSBC Bank.
Bank Address: 452 5th Ave, New York, NY 10018, United States
Account number: 3018967106
Swift Code: MRMDUS33LCR
Account Name: Abbas Abdullah Ali.
Address: 16820 6th Avenue, WLynnwood, WA 98037, USA

It is our banking rules that we must have direct email or telephone contact with the fund beneficiary first before we can finally release the fund; therefore, I am officially contacting you directly on this authorization letter and the new bank account details submitted by barrister Wang, Li, Zhang, Liu for the remittance of your $5,050,000.00 USD. Reconfirm your phone number and address. We want to speak with you in person before processing to transfer your $5,050,000.00 to your next of kin as you authorized in the authorization document they submitted.

Thank you for your attention, and I look forward to your prompt answer and questions if you have any question/s to ask.

Best Regards

Dio Kester
CFO, Lomé Union Depot
Route du 15, next to Adawlato, Assigame, and Grand Marché de
Lomé Togo
Phone: +228 9807 8165
Website: www.ldnuniondeposit.com/

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam