419 scam: "John and Tina" <tina.yy20@yahoo.com> Dearest One,

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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:
- "dearest one," (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "hundred thousand united states 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)
- "your urgent reply" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "remain blessed" (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "John and Tina" <tina.yy20@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: tina.yy20@sify.com
Date: Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:07:35 -0400
Subject: Dearest One,

Dearest One,
I am introducing my self as John Johnson and my junior sister as Tina
Johnson,I write this letter for myself and on behalf of my junior
sister.We are the children of late Mr and Mrs Lawrence Johnson,We wish to
request for your assistance in a financial transaction. And we wish to
invest in Manufacturing and real estate management in your country.
We have Twelve Million Five hundred thousand United States
Dollars(US$12.5m ) to invest in your country, and we will require your
assstance in receiving the funds in your personal/company account for
investment, We will be glad to give you 20% of the total sum for your
assistance.
Please it is very important that you contact us immediately for further
explanation on how we will proceed.
.I am waiting for your urgent reply,

Thanks and remain blessed,
John and Tina

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam