419 scam: "U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY"<info@treasury.gov> U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

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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.
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
- richardberner.treasury.gov@financier.com (Financier; can be used from anywhere worldwide)

Fraud email example:

From: "U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <richardberner.treasurygov@yahoo.com.ph>
Date: Thu, 4 Dec 2014 19:16:25 -0800
Subject: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

U.S. Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue,NW
Washington,DC 20220

This is to bring to your notice that the US Department of the Treasury in affiliation with the Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC") has been authorized in their Sanction Programs to compensate 1,000 scam victims who has being a victim of internet scam.The US Department of the Treasury has decided to pay you $250,000.00 USD(Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars) each in order to restore the global economy to the enviable standard of respectability.

You are listed and approved for this payment as one of the scammed victims to be paid $250,000.00 USD(Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars).You are advised to respond to this email as soon as possible for the immediate release of your $250,000.00 USD compensation fund.

Your particulars was mentioned by one of the Syndicates who was arrested as one of their victims of the operations,you are hereby warned not to communicate or duplicate this message to him or her for any reason what so ever as the U.S. secret service is already on trace of the other criminals.So keep it secret till they are all apprehended.Other victims who have not been contacted can submit their application as well for scrutiny and possible consideration.

You are to contact Richard Berner preferably by email for the release of your $250,000.00 USD compensation fund,he's
the director of the Office of Financial Research (OFR).

Contact Email: richardberner.treasury.gov@financier.com

You are also advised to provide him with the under listed information for verification:

*Full Names:
*Home Address:
*Nationality:
*Age:
*Sex:
*Occupation:
*Phone Number:

Best Regards,

Jacob J. Lew
Secretary of the Treasury.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam