419 scam: United States Secret Service <chinazaakwuba27@gmail.com> FINAL RELEASE NOTICE

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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:
- "western union" (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. )
- "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 gram" (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. )
- "million united states 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)
- "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.
Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
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: United States Secret Service <chinazaakwuba27@gmail.com>
Reply-To: office.office2323@yahoo.com
Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2023 12:43:46 +0100
Subject: FINAL RELEASE NOTICE

United States Secret Service Headquarters
950 H St NW #7800, Washington,
DC 20223, United States. (USSS)

Attention: Beneficiary

After proper investigations and research at Western Union and MoneyGram
Office, we found your name in the database amongst those that have sent
money and this proves that you have truly been swindled by those
unscrupulous people's by sending money to them through Western Union/Money
Gram in the course of getting one fund or the other that is not real, right
now we are working hand in hand with Western Union to track every
fraudsters down, do not respond to their emails, letters and phone calls
any longer as they are scammers or hackers and you should be very careful
to avoid being a victim to fraudsters any longer because they have nothing
to offer you but to rip-off what you have worked earnestly hard to earn.

In this regard a meeting was held between the Board of Directors of The
United States Secret Service (USSS) also with The United Nations(UN) as a
consequence of our investigations it was agreed that the sum of Twenty
Million United States Dollars ($20,000.000.00) should be transferred to you
out of the funds that THE TREASURER OF THE UNITED STATES has set aside as a
compensation to everyone who have by one way or the other sent money to
fraudsters anywhere in the world. Here are the options for you to choose in
order to receive your funds.

(1)bank to bank transfer: $350
(2)ATM debit card: $250
(3)cashier's check: $150
(4)Online Banking $400

We are waiting for your immediate response with your information, so this
office will proceed with the release of your funds immediately.
Note this compensation including Scam Victims and international businesses
that failed due to Government problems etc.However note any other contact
you made outside his office is at your own risk. I wish you the very best
of luck.

Kind Regards
Kevin Mcaleenan
United States Secret Service (USSS)

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam