419 scam: "Sgt. Wiggins"<clifford.wiggins@us.af.mil> March 29, 2014.

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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:
- "with your full names" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "consignment " (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: "Sgt. Wiggins" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <clifford.wiggins@aol.com>
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 23:02:04 -0700
Subject: March 29, 2014.

I am Sgt. Clifford Wiggins, a soldier in the U.S Army. I served in Iraq for over 8 years before I was deployed to Afghanistan. During my service in Iraq, we discovered some money in one of Saddam Hussein's old palaces in Baghdad, out of which I was given $27Million as my share. You can find the history on the BBC and CNN Links below.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2967029.stm
http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/21/world/asia/afghanistan-us-troops/index.html

With the help of a British American Red Cross official, I was able to move the cash to a secure location in Europe packaged in consignment boxes. I need you to receive the boxes as my partner in business because I am still active duty and cannot handle such transaction at this moment.

If you are interested and I can trust you, kindly provide me with your full names, your physical address and your cell phone number. You should also tell me what percentage of the money I should give you for your troubles. I propose 20% for you, 10% for charity and 70% for me. You will also help me keep my part until I am through with my assignment here and return.

Kind regards,

Sgt. Clifford Wiggins

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam