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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.

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Fraud email example:

From: "SRGT.BILLY JAMES" <srgt-james@techemail.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: srgt-billy@techemail.com
Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 22:36:31 +0300
Subject: SRGT.BILLY JAMES PLEASE IS CONFIDENTIAL

Dear Sir,

NOT FOR THIRD PARTY (CONFIDENTIAL)
AND I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS
NOT A HOAX MAIL, IT IS REAL.

With a very desperate need for assistance, I have summed
up courage to contact you.I am an army Sgt. from Fort Hood Tx.
now serving with the third infantry contingent mission stationedin
Iraq;
I actually found your contact particulars in a business journal.

I am seeking your experience and assistance to evacuate the
sum of $18.5Million United Sates Dollars to USA or any othersafe
country. This is no stolen funds, and there are no risks involved.

SOURCE OF FUNDS:
During the third month of the raid here in Iraq, Myself and
a few other soldiers while conducting a routine search in a
location near one of Saddam.s old palaces, uncovered large
sums of money buried in barrels with piles of weapons and
ammunitions which we believed must have been part of
Saddam's hidden treasure. We agreed not to turn over the cash or
declare it to our authorities that brought us here, so we shared
it amongst ourselves, since there was noting we could do having
considered that there is no amount or kind of compensation that
can make up, be quantified,or justify the risks we have taken with
our lives in this hell hole.

I was given the sum of $18.5Million Dollars as my own
share, and had nowhere to conceal such bulk monies here,
so I had to employ the services of a contact
to me by a German colleague. The said contact facilitated
the movement of the funds to a safer location entirely
outside Iraq,
What he knows is that the funds belong to an Asian American
who died in the war, and trusted me to turn in the money
to his family. One passionate appeal I will make to you
is not to discuss this matter with any third party, should
you have reasons to reject this offer, please destroy this
mail, as any leakage of this information will be too bad for us.
I do not know for how long we will remain here, and I have
survived two suicide bomb attacks by the grace of God.

It may be difficult for us to communicate frequently for
security reasons, so as soon as I am sure you are willing
to help, I will link you up with the contact and close
confidant who will work with you to get the money into
your care. On your immediate correspondence with the
contact which I will introduce to you, he will need to
release to you the document and secret code in which the
funds was safeguarded with so you can proceed for claim
and collection, but only when he has ascertained your
seriousness and totality to commit your time in seeing
to the success of this. We will also discuss your
percentage when it is convenient to do so but the
first thing is for you to get hold of the funds first.

In the meantime, please contact me through
my private email address: (srgt-james@techemail.com)

Respectfully,
Billy.


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