419 scam: "MR GIDEON TORRES" <info@marcobrenna.net> GOODDAY SIR / MADAM

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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:
- "moneygram" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "money orders " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
- "money order " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
This email message is a company representative scam. This type of job offer scam involves the cashing of fake checks and money orders. It could expose you to losses of tens of thousands of dollars as well as to the risk of criminal prosecution and (in some cases) imprisonment.
MoneyGram money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. Along with Western Union it is a preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.

Fraud email example:

From: "MR GIDEON TORRES" <info@marcobrenna.net>
Reply-To: gideontores@gmail.com
Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2018 04:40:01 +0800
Subject: GOODDAY SIR / MADAM

My name is GIDEON TORRES and I am an artist. I live in the United Kingdom,=
with my two kids, four cats, one dog and the love of my life Anita(my Wife)=
. It is definitely a full house. I have been doing artwork since I was a li=
ttle child. That gives me about 23 years of experience. I majored in art in=
high school and took a few college art courses. Most of my work is done in=
either pencil or airbrush mixed with color pencils. I have recently added =
designing and creating artwork on the computer. I have been selling my art =
for the last 3 years and have had my work featured on trading cards, prints=
and in magazines.I have sold in galleries and to private collectors from a=
ll around the world,But,I am always facing serious difficulties when it com=
es to selling my art works to Americans and Canadians they are always offer=
ing to pay with a US POSTAL MONEY ORDERS or CASHIERS CHEQUES,which is diffi=
cult for me to cash here in the United Kingdom. I am looking for a represen=
tative in the states who will be working for me as a partime worker and i w=
ill be willing to pay 5% (5 percentage) for every transaction, which wouldn=
t affect your present state of work,someone who would help me recieve payme=
nts from my customers in the states. i mean someone that is responsible and=
reliable,because the cost of coming to the united states and canada to get=
payments is very expensive,i am working on setting up a branch in the stat=
es,so for now i need a representative in the united states and canada who w=
ill be handling the payment aspect for me. These payments are in money orde=
r or checks and they would come to you in your name, so all you need do is =
cash the money order deduct your percentage and wire the rest back to me.Bu=
t, the problem i have is trust,But i have my way of getting anyone that get=
s away with my money,i mean the FBI branch in Washington gets involved. It =
wouldnt cost u any amount,you are to receive payments which will be sent to=
you by fedex or usps from my business patners,which would come in form of =
a money order then u are to cash it and send the cash to me via western uni=
on money transfer or moneygram money transfer,all transfer fees should be d=
educted from the money after you have deducted 5% of the total amount you h=
ave cashed for my company. If you are interested,please get back to me as s=
oon as possible. Regards GIDEON TORRES N.B:Endeavour to send your reply thr=
ough my alternative=20

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam