419 scam: "Mr. Steven Nickell" <gj70104@gmail.com> Congratulations

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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:
- "cashier's check" (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 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. Steven Nickell" <gj70104@gmail.com>
Reply-To: stevenickell@protonmail.com
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2022 19:12:37 +0300
Subject: Congratulations

--
Hello,

My name is Steven Nickell, On July 13, 2018, I was declared the winner
of $150.4 million Power ball jackpot, which claim one of Oregon
largest lottery win in the state's history. After much consultations
with my family, I have voluntarily decided to donate the sum of
$500,000 to you and your family, being part of our Charitable Donation
Project to financially support three (3) lucky people, your email was
luckily selected via a Google, Microsoft and Facebook sponsored email
draws, and we decided to put this on the Internet for the world to
see.

In other to relinquish any doubts, to verify the genuineness of this
email and my winnings, please copy the links web page below and paste:

https://www.powerball.com/winner-story/oregon-man-claims-1504-million-powerball-jackpot

For the immediate release of these donated to you, send your Full
names, Country, Age, Occupation and Mobile/Telephone number so that I
can issue a Certified Cashier's Check in your name and have my
affiliate courier deliver it to your doorstep or my bank make a direct
transfer to you.

So do get back to me quickly via email with your details and preferred
option to receive your charitable donation prize.

Congratulations!
Steven Nickell.
Cell# (210) 920-6888

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam