419 scam: "Charles Gyude Bryant"<charlesgbryant@gmail.com> From Charles Gyude Bryant

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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:
- "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)
- "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "liberia" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "Charles Gyude Bryant" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <cgb65939@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:33:12 +0100
Subject: From Charles Gyude Bryant

Hello,

I am sorry to invade your privacy, but because of the urgency this needs, I decided to contact you through this medium. It's my pleasure to contact you for a business venture which I intend to establish in your country, though I have not met with you before but I believe one has to risk, confiding in someone to succeed sometimes in life.

My name is Charles Gyude Bryant, a former government official of the Liberian Government. I am currently living in the United Kingdom; based on asylum I was granted. I am looking for a reliable and influential person like you to help repatriate the funds (USD$22.500,000.00) I deposited with a bank in belgium. I will give you more details, if you write back.

Please note that this is a top secret transaction, if you are not willing to help out, do not bother to write, and pretend I never wrote you. If you can be of assistance to me I will reward you handsomely.

Thank you and God bless you. I will be waiting on your reply.

Regards,
Charles Gyude Bryant.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam