419 scam: "Mr Fred .W .Grant" <fred_grant@rocketmail.com> DEAR SIR

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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:
- ",500,000" (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)
- "00,000.00" (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: "Mr Fred .W .Grant" <fred_grant@rocketmail.com>
Reply-To: mrfredgrant2@gmail.com
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 2010 01:11:23 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: DEAR SIR

Dear Sir,

Good day, I have US$8,500,000.00 United States dollars family wealth, I
want you to invest the money into real estate and property transactions
for my family, and I want you to assume responsibility of management on
investment.

I really do not want to contact you by email because of the rate of scam
emails I hear
about on the Internet, but after many deliberations I decided to use email
to reach
you for introduction. This investment funds belonged to my late father. He
stored the
money in a safe place not in the bank to avoid government knowledge for
his campaign and presidential ambition before his political opponent
murdered him in a planned motor accident.

Once you receive the money I want you to keep 25% of the total sum for
your benefits
and handling charges. This money is genuine and legally acquired.

I look forward to your reply with full names, Address, Phone numbers, Age
and Nationality to begin discussions.

Respectfully,

Mr Fred .W .Grant

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam