419 scam: "Mr. Edward Wakaso"<mr.edwakaso@gmail.com> Hello!!

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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "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)
- ",000,000" (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)
- "00,000.00" (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)
- "is 100% risk-free" (almost true for the criminal trying to scam you - arrests of online criminals are rare)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. Edward Wakaso" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mr.edwakaso73@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2017 07:17:06 -0000
Subject: Hello!!

Dear Friend,

My name is Mr. Edward Wakaso; I am The Head of Accounts Department in The Ghana Ministry of Roads and Highways. I am in-charge of Payment Approval of Contracts awarded to Local and Foreign Contractors by Ghana government.

A Road Construction Contract was awarded to a Foreign Company here in Ghana and the contract was supposed to be awarded to two companies at the cost of One Hundred Million Dollars (USD$100,000,000.00).

We negotiated with one Construction Company that executed the contract at the cost of Fifty Million Dollars (USD$50,000,000.00) instead of the amount allocated by Ghana government. The contract has been completed and the company has been duly paid.

Now, the reason why I contacted you: I want you to stand as the second Foreign Contractor so that the remaining balance of Fifty Million Dollars (USD$50,000,000.00) will be paid to you, then I will come over to your country for sharing and further investment plans.

I want you to know that all the processes are going to be legal and I will provide all the backup documents to make you one of the Foreign Contractors we have here in Ghana to ensure a successful transfer of the fund to any bank of your choice.

Be rest assured that this transaction is 100% risk-free because all the legal documents will be provided as I have already told you. Please if you are interested, reply to me so that I will give you details of the procedure.

Yours truly,

Mr. Edward Wakaso.

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Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam