419 scam: "MS. MELIA KELLER"<sgtkellermelia@aol.com> HOW ARE YOU TODAY, PLEASE GET BACK TO ME ASAP

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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)
- "million us 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)
- "waiting for your urgent response" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "MS. MELIA KELLER" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <msmeliakeller@aol.in>
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:23:42 -0800
Subject: HOW ARE YOU TODAY, PLEASE GET BACK TO ME ASAP

DEAR FRIEND ,

I AM IN NEED OF YOUR ASSISTANCE. MY NAME IS MELIA KELLER I AM IN 3RD BN. (AIRBORNE), 509TH INF. OF US FORCES IN BAGDAD IRAQI I HAVE ($5.5MILLION US DOLLARS) THAT I SUCCESSFULLY MOVED OUT OF THE COUNTRY THROUGH DIPLOMATIC DISPATCH. I NEED A GOOD PARTNER SOMEONE I CAN TRUST. IT IS OIL BUSINESS MONEY WE DID WITH IRAQI CITIZENS WORTH OF ($55MILLION US DOLLARS, THE $5.5 MILLION) STATED IS MY PART ON THE BUSINESS AND ITS LEGAL. I MOVE THE FUND OUT OF IRAQ AS A FAMILY TREASURE. I HAVE MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO MOVE IT THROUGH DIPLOMATIC DISPATCH, TO SEND IT TO YOUR HOUSE DIRECTLY .

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT IF WE CAN BUILD UP TRUST ON EACH OTHER? ONCE THE FUNDS GET TO YOU, YOU TAKE YOUR 25% OUT AND KEEP MY OWN 75%. YOUR OWN PART OF THIS DEAL IS TO FIND A SAFE PLACE WHERE THE FUNDS CAN BE SENT TO FOR INVESTMENT . MY OWN PART IS SENDING IT TO YOU. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED I WILL FURNISH YOU WITH MORE DETAILS. BUT THE WHOLE PROCESS IS SIMPLE AND WE MUST KEEP A LOW PROFILE AT ALL TIMES. I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR REPLY AND CO-OPERATION, AND I THANK YOU IN ADVANCE AS I ANTICIPATE YOUR CO-OPERATION WAITING FOR YOUR URGENT RESPONSE.

GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY, IN GOD WE TRUST! REGARDS, MS. MELIA KELLER.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam