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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.Adam Caldwell" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <sgtadam_att1@alex4all.com>
Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2010 01:54:07 +0100
Subject: From:Sgt Adam Caldwell

From:Sgt Adam Caldwell

Good day and compliments,I know this letter will definitely come to you as a
huge surprise,but I implore you to take the time to go through it carefully as
the decision you make will go off a long way to determine my future and
continued existence.

Please allow me to introduce myself.I am Sgt.Adam Caldwell, a US Marine Sgt.
serving in the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment that Patrols the Anbar
province, Iraq.I am desperately in need of assistance and I have summoned up
courage to contact you.I am presently in Iraq and I found your contact
particulars in an address journal.

I am seeking your assistance to evacuate the sum of Nine Hundred Thousand US
Dollars (Nine Hundred thousand USD) to the States or any safe country,as far as
I can be assured that it will be safe in your care until I complete my service
here.This is no stolen money and there are no dangers involved.

SOURCE OF MONEY:

Some money in various currencies was discovered and concealed in barrels with
piles of weapons and ammunition at a location near one of Saddam Hussein's old
Presidential Palaces during a rescue operation and it was agreed by all party
present that the money be shared amongst us.

Click this link http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm

This might appear as an illegal thing to do but I tell you what?

No compensation can make up for the risks we have taken with our lives in this
hellhole.The above figure was given to me as my share and to conceal this kind
of money became a problem for me, so with the help of a British contact working
with the UN here (his office enjoys some immunity)

I was able to get the package out to a safe location entirely out of trouble
spot. He does not know the real contents of the package as he believes that it
belongs to an American who died in an air raid, who before giving up trusted me
to hand over the package to his close relative. I have now found a secured way
of getting the package out of Iraq for you to pick

up.I do not know for how long I will remain here, as I have been lucky to
survive 2 suicide bomb attacks by Pure Divine intervention.

This and other reasons put into consideration have prompted me to reach out for
help. If it might be of interest to you then Endeavor to contact me and we
would work out the necessar yformalities but I pray that you are
discreet about this mutually benefiting
relationship.


Respectfully,
Sgt.Adam Caldwell,
United States Marine Corps.IRAQ.


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