419 scam: Jose Hidalgo <j_hidalgo@sbcglobal.net> Holiday Mishap ( NEED HELP )

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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.
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: Jose Hidalgo <j_hidalgo@sbcglobal.net>
Reply-To: j_hidalg0@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2012 08:48:25 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Holiday Mishap ( NEED HELP )

My Family and I are currently on vacation to Madrid,Spain.and we got mugged last night in an alley by a gang of thugs on my way back from shopping, everything i had on me including my cell phone, credit cards were all stolen,quite honestly it was beyond a dreadful experience for me but looking on the bright side i was not seriously hurt or injured and i am still alive so that is whats important.
I've reported to the cops here and canceled all my cards,it appeared I had acted quickly enough or they almost would have succeeded in cleaning out my bank account. I'm really having some difficulties clearing my hotel bills and also need to pick up a voucher ticket at the counter for us to catch a flight back home in a couple of hours.
I was wondering if you could please loan me some money pending when i get things straighten out and I promise to refund as soon as we arrive home safely. All i need to get back is $1,500
Write me back and let me know how soon you can get it to us asap.
Regards
Jose.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam