419 scam: Ralph Asare <bugghy@rice.ocn.ne.jp> HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON.

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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:
- "may come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "million us 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)
- "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)
- "contract award committee" (the name of a person or institution often appearing 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: Ralph Asare <bugghy@rice.ocn.ne.jp>
Reply-To: Ralph Asare <ralphasare4@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 2 Oct 2013 09:06:27 +0900 (JST)
Subject: HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON.

Hello,

Good day and How do you do today? Please my proposal may come to you as a surprise but it is very urgent and also needs very urgent attention. I am Mr. Ralph Asare, Head of Contract Award Committee with Ministry of Mines & Energy, Accra Ghana. Our Ministry awarded several multi-million dollar contracts to various local and foreign contractors who participated in the supply and installation of heavy equipments and High Voltage Transformers in the just concluded rural electrification projects in 22 regions of my country which has been on since the past 2 years.

It is payment time now, and our ministry has instructed me to compile and submit the names of all participants/contractors so that the list can be forwarded to our paying bank for immediate payment to each participant. With my position in office, I have the preference to confidentially include just one name on this payment list before submission, and a contract sum of 1.3 million US Dollars will be paid to that name without any stress. This is a top secret and it's one of the ways we the top officers make money in the ministry while on seat.

I$B!G(Bm reaching you through this medium due to the short time frame involved. Reply me as soon as possible if you think you can work with me as a reliable foreigner because I cannot do this alone. I will enlighten you more and possibly include your name on the list if I find you trustworthy because this business involves a lot of money and I wouldn't want to joke with this opportunity. We shall discuss the sharing mode when I hear from you.

Thanks and have a nice day.

With regards,
Mr. Ralph Asare.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam