419 scam: Al <s5555552010@sify.com> URGENT REPLY NEEDED AND CONFIDENTIAL

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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:
- "huge amount of money" (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)
- "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: Al <s5555552010@sify.com>
Reply-To: s55555552010@sify.com
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 04:40:41 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: URGENT REPLY NEEDED AND CONFIDENTIAL

TOP SECRET.

My name ?????? i am Africa American Soldier, member U.S 3rd Infantry Division Troops that found $650m in Baghdad Iraq. currently i am in burkina faso west Africa on united nation Assignment,i manage to remove some of the money in the container while in Iraq The said amount is twenty two million dollars,($22m)please try visit this site for comfirmation.(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm) I transferred the huge amount of money to my very good friend (Koja, Jakarta Utara) from Indonesia who died of resent in train crash.

I transferred the huge amount of money to him through Wiragarda Security Agency,Indonesia i am writing this mail and at the same time pleading for you to protect my interest by not exposing this mail to any other person because I am still in service

I will tell you my name and my vision,if i discover that you will keep my identity confidential.The said amount is twenty two million dollars,($22m) already with the Wiragarda Security Agency,Indonesia.

I want to know if you will be capable of handling this project with me over their in Indonesia,at the same time i will like to know more about you before i can be able to give your data's to the Wiragarda Security Agency,Indonesia,so that they can contact you for the claim of the fund according to my instructions

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam