419 Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam (2006-01)

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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:
- "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. )
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.
- sspakistan3223@yahoo.ca (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: Techy da Silva <sspakistan323@yahoo.ca>
Reply-To: Techy da Silva <sspakistan3223@yahoo.ca>
Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 15:35:14 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: =?utf-8?B?VHJvdWJsZSBpbiBQb2xhbmQuLi4uLi4uUGxlYXNlIGdldCBiYWNrIHRvIG1l?=
=?utf-8?B?IEFTQVDigI8=?=

Good morning,
Â
I Hope you get this on time. I'm very sorry to bother you with my
troubles but I'm in some terrible situation right now and need your
urgent help, I know I didn't mention anything about it to you but we are
in trouble right now.
Â
I'm stranded in Warszawa, Poland and need
your help getting back home. I made a trip down here this past weekend
but unfortunately for me, I was robbed at gunpoint at a taxi park.
Everything I had on me including my phone, credit cards were all stolen,
It was a terrible experience to go through but looking on the bright
side, I wasn't seriously hurt or injured and I'm still alive which is
the most important thing. The good thing is that I still have my
passport but I just don't have enough money to sort my hotel bills and
travel back home.
Unfortunately for me, I can't have access to funds
without my credit card since the robbers have my card now, I've made
contact with my bank but it would take at least a week to get a new one
to me. Please I would really appreciate if you could help me out here. I
was wondering if you could help me with a quick Loan and I promise to
refund you as I get back in two days time. All I really need is about
2,550 Euros but if the whole amount can't be covered, I would gladly
appreciate any amount you can put in to help. Western union is the best
way to get the funds to me. Please kindly let me know if this is
possible so that I can provide my wiring details needed to make the
transfer. Looking forward to hearing from you, I will check my email
every 30 minutes for your reply because it's the only way i can reach
you.
Â
Thank you.

Â
Techy da Silva

Social Secretary to the
High Commissioner for Pakistan
10 Range Road, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 8J3
Fax: 613-283-2769
sspakistan3223@yahoo.ca

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam