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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:

Fraud email example:

From: "U.S DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <raymondhelengrace@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2017 17:45:54 -0000
Subject: SCAMMED VICTIMS COMPENSATION SANCTION

U.S. Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue,NW
Washington,DC 20220
 
 
This is to bring to your notice that the US Department of the Treasury in affiliation with the Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC") has been authorized in their Sanction Programs to compensate 1,000 scammed victims who has being a victim of internet scam.The US Department of the Treasury has decided to pay you $850,000.00 USD(Eight Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars) each in order to restore the global economy to the enviable standard of respectability.
 
Your particulars was mentioned by one of the syndicates who was arrested as one of the victims of their operations.You are hereby warned not to communicate or duplicate this message to him or her for any reason whatsoever as the US SECRET SERVICE is already on trace of the other criminals,these information should remain confidential till they are all apprehended,other victims who have not been contacted can submit their application as well for scrutiny and possible consideration.
 
You will be contacting Raymond Helen Grace directly by replying to this email(raymondhelengrace@gmail.com) for the release of your $850,000.00 USD compensation fund, she is the fiduciary director of the Office of Financial Research (OFR).You are also advised to provide her with the under listed information for verification and proper compilation of files:
 
1)Full Names
2)Home Address
3)Nationality
4)Age
5)Sex
6)Occupation
7)Phone Number
 
 
Best Regards,
 
Steven Mnuchin.
Executive Secretary,
United States Treasury Department.
https://www.treasury.gov/about/Pages/Secretary.aspx
(C) 2017

Anti-fraud resources: