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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: peter smith <peter.smith790@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: peter smith <smithpter1@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2014 11:52:07 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: GET BACK TO ME

Hello Friend,

Greetings to you and your family, I know this message may appear to you as a surprise, but I request for your understanding to acknowledge this proposal. My name is Sgt. (1st Class) Peter Smith, I am an American soldier, serving in the military with the Army's 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment in Kabul, Afghanistan, with a desperate need for assistance, I found your contact particulars in an address journal here. I seek your kind assistance to move to you the sum of $5.7M (Five million seven hundred thousand US dollars) hence, I can be assured that my share will be safe in your care until I finish my service here.

Some money in various currencies was discovered in barrels in a terrorists camp during one of our raids here in Afghanistan. I and my crewmembers decide to split these currencies into two; give one to the Government and then share the other half amongst ourselves which the above amount is my own share of the money. We decided to share this money amongst ourselves due to the series of killings of NATO troops here in Afghanistan.

Conveying this money out of this place became a barrier for me due to my active services in the military. I have carefully packaged the money in a box, and have made contact with a friend who is working with the air force under UNITED NATIONS here in Kabul. He will assist me move the consignment out of this trouble area down to Europe, where it will be deposited with one of the United Nations SECRET SECURITY VAULT in Europe as a diplomatic luggage. I told him that the luggage belongs to one of the doctors that died on raid here but before he gave up he pleaded me to make sure the luggage gets to his family. He will deposit the consignment for safe keeping and to make contacts for its proper use.

Therefore I need someone I can work with on trust, which is why Im contacting you. If accepted I will put you forward as the beneficiary/owner of the funds (consignment) and then the consignment will be deposited on your name as the beneficiary and the United Nations will deliver the box to you anywhere in the world. I just need your acceptance and all is done. I have 100% assurance that you will surely receive the box without any hitch; every arrangement will be made to proceed to your country for the delivery. I am willing to offer you 30% of the total sum when the money is delivered to you.

The only telephone access we have here is radio message which is for our general use and is being monitored; therefore all communication will be via email till we finish our assignment here. One passionate appeal I will make to you is not to discuss this matter with anybody, should you have reasons to reject this offer Please and please destroy this message as any leakage of this information will be too bad for us soldiers here in Afghanistan, I really want this matter to be resolved immediately, please contact me as soon as possible via my email address which is my only means of communication.

Regards,

Sgt. Peter Smith.

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