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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:

Fraud email example:

From: "SGT. RICHARD JOHNSON" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <richardjohnson@webmail.hu>
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2018 13:08:50 -0700
Subject: URGENT ATTENTION

 
Greetings,
 
THIS MESSAGE IS VERY IMPORTANT, GET BACK TO ME AFTER READING THIS MESSAGE
 
I believe this message will come to you as a surprise because we have never met before. My name is Richard Johnson and i am a First Class Sergeant in the U.S Army. I am from Victorville California, United States of America.
 
I found your Email contact in an address journal online. I work with the U.S Army, but currently on a peace keeping mission here in Kabul Afghanistan.
 
The information i am about to disclose to you will be of great benefit to both of us if you will accept my request to receive a package containing cash sum of Four Million Five Hundred Thousand United States dollars {$4,500,000.00} and Raw Gold worth over One (1) Million dollars which i deposited with the America Red Cross office here in Kabul Military Base for safekeeping.
 
Note: If you are able to handle the shipment out of this county, 40% of the cash and gold will be yours, while you keep the remaining 60% of the cash and gold for me pending when my mission here will be over.
 
Before i explain more about the source of cash and gold, i have to tell you more about my stay here and the source of the Money and Gold. I was posted here 8 Months ago and i have been working at the Military monitoring unit base since my stay here in Kabul Afghanistan. We are in charge of bombs, missiles, Air craft and Guns. As a matter of fact, I am using the U.S military device for monitoring the Aircraft, Missiles, Bomb track and radio activities to chat with you. I am doing this secretly because We are not allowed to use cell phones, computer and laptops.
 
I am widowed with one son who is currently in the Army War College and I lost contact with him the last terrorist attack here at the U.S Military Base camp. My wife died of breast cancer five years ago, and since then i have been single. I wish to disclose a very important information to you about my stay here in Kabul, and your assistance in this matter will be highly appreciated. I need your assistance in this matter because i do not have anyone to help me out at this point, no father, no mother, no brothers and sisters. I lost my parents in an auto crash while i was still 18 years of age, and i am the only child of my parents. I once had an uncle who was very good to me, but he is late now.
SOURCE OF MONEY AND GOLD: My stay here has been deadly and on the other hand profitable to me. Few Months back, I and my team mates were assigned to monitor Oil project here in Kabul Afghanistan which has really increased me financially. As a matter of fact, after monitoring the last oil project last week, we were compensated with a total sum of One Million dollars (1M) each for protecting the company from terrorist attacks while the projects were going on.
We also recovered parcels of gold worth Billions of dollars when we invaded some terrorists camps here last months after which we were also compensated with gold worth over One Million dollars each for a job well done.
 
In other to make more money here, i had to invest the One Million Euros in an Oil business because i will be punished by the military authorities if caught with such a huge amount of Money here in the Military Base Camp. Ever since i started the secrete oil deal here i have made a total sum of Four million five hundred thousand Euros here.
 
For security reasons, i saved my cash and gold in a military security Boxes without the consent of our coordinators here. I decided not to disclose this to them because if i do, the package will be confiscated by our top officials, and i can??™t let them have my hard earned money and Gold.
 
All my team mates involved in this deal have delivered their own share of the gold and cash to either their wives or family members and close friends, but mine is still here with me because i do not have anyone to help me receive my package. Right now I need some I can trust, I mean someone who will never think of betraying me who I can deliver the Two Security Boxes containing my 4.5 million Euros and Raw Gold worth One Million Euros.
 
It is a punishable offense to keep cash with you here in the Camp because we are not allowed to keep cash with us for security reasons. In order to maintain good behavior, the military authority decided that our salary and allowances will be sent to our different accounts Bank of America and we can only have access to our funds when our mission here is over. Everything we need is been provided by the U.S Government and we are not lacking anything here in the Military Base.
 
Please i need you to help me receive and keep this package for me until i return home in two months time. As I stated earlier, the package is with the Red Cross office here for safe keeping and I shall make arrangements to deliver the package to you as soon as you declare your interest to assist me in this matter.
 
In other to make more money here, I was advised by a good friend of mine who is one of the oil company coordinators to invest the funds in an Oil business, and he promised to assist me at all level considering the fact that I have no knowledge of the business.
 
At first I thought he was trying to play smart on me, but I had no other option because I will be punished by the military authorities if caught with such a huge amount of Money here in the Military Base Camp.
 
I cannot disclose the secret oil deal to any other person here in the military base because it is against the ethics of our duties here. Right now I need a reliable and trust worthy person I can trust, I mean someone who will never think of betraying me.
 
Note: The package has been at the Red Cross office for the past three (3) weeks now because i do not have cash at hand to settle the delivery expenses due to the U.S Military policy here, and i can not disclose the content of the package to the Red Cross office for security reasons.
 
I will send you scanned copies of my picture and military Identification card In my next email, Please get back to me with your full name and other personal information's if you truly wish to assist me in this matter.
 
Note: This is no stolen money and there are no dangers involved, all i need is your cooperation to get the package out from here.
 
PLEASE CONTACT ME THROUGH MY PERSONAL EMAIL IF YOU ARE INTERESTED: richardjohnson@vipmail.hu
 
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this matter.
 
Yours Truly,
 
SGT. RICHARD JOHNSON
 
 

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