419 scam: "Mrs. Ruth Alpern Madoff" <ruthmadoff@yahoo.com> Dear Friend

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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "very confidential" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "Mrs. Ruth Alpern Madoff" <ruthmadoff@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: Mrs.madoff@live.com
Date: Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:11:28 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Dear Friend

Dear Friend ,

I am Mrs.Ruth Madoff, wife of Bernard.L. Madoff.I am going through a
difficult time with my family right now, as my husband is now at the
Metropolitan Correction Center, New York City.My husband Sentencing is
scheduled for June 29, 2009 and he is likely to face a maximum sentence of
150 years in prison and $170 billion in restitution, so there is need for
me to move out a lot of my personal funds and personal belongings around
the world, particularly from outside America.I need somebody to trust in
order for me to actualize this, because I cannot receive funds here in
America right now.

I would need your help in acquiring some properties and keeping some large
cash amount for me. but first I would prefer to chat with you either on
yahoo chat or Skype. if you are not comfortable with yahoo then write me
,so we can communicate via email.

This is very urgent, I would have to entrust a large amount of money into
your hands and some personal valuables. But this would have to be very
confidential, just between me and you, because the press are after me
because of my husband name all over the headlines, because of his Wall
street business.

Anyway! don't be scared about the risk, it is a very safe deal I can
assure you of your confidentiality.

Yours Sincerely
Mrs. Ruth Alpern Madoff
Contact Email:Mrs.madoff@live.com

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam