419 scam: CONNOR CRAIG COLE <mail@culture.gr> ASSISTANT IS NEEDED URGENT.

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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:
- "a security company " (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. )
- ",500,000" (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)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: CONNOR CRAIG COLE <mail@culture.gr>
Reply-To: craigcoleconnor@gmail.com
Date: Thu, 17 May 2018 15:51:41 +0300
Subject: ASSISTANT IS NEEDED URGENT.

I AM SGT. CONNOR CRAIG COLE OF THE US ARMY CURRENTLY DEPLOYED TO KABUL-AFGHANISTAN. DIVORCED DUE TO MY LACK OF PRESENCE AND CAREER PATH. I FEEL QUITE SAFE DEALING WITH YOU ON THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE. I KNOW VERY WELL WE DO NOT KNOW EACH OTHER IN PERSON, BUT SITUATION HAS BROUGHT US TOGETHER. DON'T REPLY THIS MESSAGE IF YOUR NOT INTERESTED.

DURING ONE OF OUR RESCUE MISSIONS, WE CAME ACROSS A SAFE BOX CONTAINS A HUGE AMOUNT OF GOLD BARS THAT MUST HAVE BELONGS TO THE REBELS OR OTHER TERROR PERPETRATORS OUT HERE, I BELIEVE THIS MAY HAVE BEEN LOOTED FROM THE COUNTRY OR WAS BEING USED TO TRADE FOR WEAPON, ITâ€™S A COMMON PRACTICE BECAUSE THEYâ€™RE UNABLE TO LAUNDER MONEY FREELY THEY TRADE FOR WEAPON AND OTHER COMMODITIES USING GOLD. WHEN WE RETURNED TO BASE THE COMMANDER TOLD ALL THE ARMY OFFICERS INVOLVED THAT THE GOLD BARS WILL BE SHARED BETWEEN US, BECAUSE WE LOST A FEW SOLDIERS DURING THAT ASSIGNMENT. MY SHARE WAS 5 OF THE GOLD BARS WHICH I FOUND OUT EACH BRICK SELLS FOR $506,400 SO WE'RE LOOKING AT AROUND $2,500,000.00 USD FOR ALL, I HAVE SINCE TRANSFERRED MY SHARE THROUGH A SECURE INDIVIDUAL TO A SECURITY COMPANY IN TURKEY FOR SAFEKEEPING PENDING MY RETRIEVAL, THAT WAS THE SAFEST OPTION I HAD BECAUSE THE INDIVIDUAL WORKED WITH THE RED CROSS, THE BOX HAS BEEN WITH THE SECURITY COMPANY FOR OVER 8 MONTHS NOW AND I AM BEGINNING TO WORRY ABOUT IT SAFETY BECAUSE OF THE MESSAGE I RECEIVED FROM THE COMPANY, WHICH IS WHY I HAVE CONTACTED YOU TO SEEK YOUR SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE IN RETRIEVING THE BOX BEFORE ANYTHING HAPPENS TO IT. THE FRIEND WHO HELPED DEPOSITED IT AT THE SECURITY COMPANY SAID IT WAS ONLY PAID FOR 3 MONTHS.

MY FRIEND, I HAVE NO ONE TO HELP RETRIEVE THE BOX AS I CANâ€™T DUE TO MY DEPLOYMENT. I AM SEEKING YOUR ASSISTANCE IN RETRIEVING THE BOX TO YOUR DESTINATION. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY BECAUSE I WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH ALL DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE DEPOSIT, BUT WOULD YOU BE AVAILABLE TO TRAVEL TO TURKEY? I WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH EVERY NEEDED INFORMATION AND INTRODUCE YOU TO THE SECURITY COMPANY.

THE SECURITY COMPANY CAN ALSO FACILITATE THE DELIVERY OF THE BOX TO YOUR HOME IN CASE YOU CAN'T MAKE IT TO TURKEY, BUT THIS WILL ATTRACT COST, AND I DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO MONEY DUE TO MY CURRENT LOCATION. THEREFORE, I CONTACTED YOU TO KNOW IF YOU CAN HANDLE THIS WITH ME. AS MENTIONED SEVERAL TIMES IN MY MESSAGE YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT IF YOU CHOSE TO ASSIST ME WITH THESE ENDEAVOR AS I WILL GUIDE YOU ALL THROUGH THE ENTIRE PROCESS AND PROVIDE ALL BACKING DOCUMENTS TO MY CLAIM. YOU WOULD ALSO BE COMPENSATED WITH 35% OF THE GOLD OR WHATEVER WE END UP SELLING EVERYTHING FOR, I CAN GIVE YOU TWO OF THE GOLD BAR ONCE YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY RETRIEVED IT FROM THE SECURITY COMPANY IF THATâ€™S WHAT YOU WHICH TO DO BUT IF YOU PREFER THE MONEY I WILL COMPENSATE YOU WITH 35% OF WHATEVER WE SELL IT FOR.

GET BACK TO ME IF YOUâ€™RE INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH ME AND WISH TO PROCEED. PLEASE BEAR IN MIND THAT I AM IN NO WAY FORCING YOU TO ASSIST WITH THIS BUT FOR OUR BOTH BENEFIT.

REGARDS,
SGT.CONNOR CRAIG COLE.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam