419 scam: "Andrew Smith"<smithandew156@gmail.com> HELLO FRIEND DO GET BACK TO ME

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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:
- "trunk box" (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)
- "million 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)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "Andrew Smith" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <andrewsmith154@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 12 Sep 2010 01:41:32 +0100
Subject: HELLO FRIEND DO GET BACK TO ME

Hello Friend,

Permit the manner with which I am seeking your assistance but I am short of options and have no

other choice. I am Andrew Smith from the hospitality state (Mississippi), an army contractor

attached to the US Military force in Iraq. The reason why I’m explaining my findings to you is

to seek for your assistance to enable me send this trunk box out from Iraq that contain

($10.3million Dollars) which I have found.

I am now in desperate need of a “Reliable and Trustworthy” person like you who would receive,

secure and protect these box containing the US Dollars for me up on till my assignment elapses

here. We cannot afford to leave the box here in Iraq for any reason since Iraq is getting unsafe

and dangerous everyday. We have no idea what could happen next as everything remains

inconclusive at this point.

I assure and promise to give you 25% of this fund, however feel free to negotiate what you wish

to have as your percentage in this deal. Please assure me of your keeping this topmost secret

within you so that my job would not be jeopardized. As i speak to you now, i have been able to

secure the assistance of a senior Red Cross Official who has promised to help us move the

consingment to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Get back to me and lets discuss it more.

Because of the nature of this deal and my job, we can only discuss by email, so i will wait for

your email response via my personal email address.

My Sincere Regards,

Andrew Smith.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam