419 scam: "Sgt Williams Rhodes"<willimasrhodesprivate@us.army.org> Hello Friend is not what you think.

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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "huge amount of money" (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)
- "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)
- ",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)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "Sgt Williams Rhodes" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <willimasrhodesprivate@aol.com>
Date: Tue, 8 Jan 2013 20:08:03 -0600
Subject: Hello Friend is not what you think.

Dear Friend,

I am Sgt Williams Rhodes, a U.S Army being deployed to Damascus, Syria on a 6 month mission before I will return back home. During one of our rescue Mission we came across a safe that contains huge amount of money that belongs to the revolutionaries, which I believe they use in buying weapons and ammunition's, and it was agreed by my colleagues that the money will be shared amongst us. I am seeking your assistance to evacuate my share of the money, which is $4,000,000 out of here to you, in as much as you can assure me that my own share will be safe in your care until I complete my service here. This is no stolen money, and there are no dangers involved, as I have made arrangements with a UN representative who promised to deliver the fund to any of my choosing destination. I shall be compensating you with $1,000,000.00 (One Million Dollars) on final conclusion of this project, while the rest shall be for me for my investment

Purposes after retirement.

Regards,

Sgt Williams Rhodes

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam