419 scam: "Tom Bradley" <tombradley777@yahoo.com> DONATION TO CHARITY

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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:

An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
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)
- "hundred thousand 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)
This email message is a "dying merchant" scam.
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.
- tombradley777@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Tom Bradley" <tombradley777@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: <tombradley777@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 6 Aug 2009 09:48:18 +0800
Subject: DONATION TO CHARITY

DONATION TO CHARITY

Dear Friend,

Good day and God bless you. I feel quite safe and satisfied dealing with you in this charity project. Though, this medium (Internet) has been greatly abused, I choose to reach you through it because it still remains the fastest, surest and most secured medium of communication. However, this correspondence is purely private, and it should be treated as such.

As you read this, I don't want you to feel sorry for me because I believe everyone will die someday. My name is Tom Bradley Jr. I am an American, I presently reside in West Africa. For the past 30 years and more, I have worked and become an industrialist and oil & Gas merchant in Africa and middle east.

I have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS since 1989. Now it has defiled all forms of medical treatment, even the so-called anti-viral drugs. And as I write this email to you, I have only about a few months to live according to medical advise. I have not particularly lived my life so well, as I never really cared for anyone (not even myself) but my business. Though I may be very rich, I was never generous, I was always hostile to people and only focused on my oil & gas business as that was the only thing that I cared for. But now I regret all of this as I now know that there is more to life than just wanting to have or make all the money in the world.

I believe if there is a second chance for me to come to this world, I would live my life a different way from how I had lived it.

Now that I may not live longer, I have willed and given most of my property and assets to my immediate and extended family members as well as a few other close associates. I want mercy to be shown on my soul, so I decided also to give alms to charity and the less-preveledged, as mark of my last good deeds on this earth. I could have done this personally but I cannot because of my present health condition.

More-over, I once asked members of my family and close associates to close some of my bank accounts and distribute the money which I have there to charity organization in Indian, Sudan, Ethiopia, Bulgaria and Pakistan, they refused and kept the money to themselves as I was amazed to discover much latter. Hence, I do not trust them or any of my associates anymore, as they seem not to be contended with what I have left for them.

The last of my monies which no one knows of is a huge bonded cash deposit of Twenty-Two Million, Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (US$22.5M) with AFRIBANK PLc an affiliate of HSBC London. I will want you to help me collect this Fund, dispatch and distribute them to charity organizations such as those that cater for environmental Disasters victims, HIV/AIDS victims, support groups and research agencies etc, in your country.

I have set aside 30% of the Twenty-Two Million, Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (US$22.5M) for you as compensation for your time and efforts.

When I read your response to my proposal, I will direct you to my personal lawyer whom I have given instructions as well as all documents relating to this for him to direct you better on how to secure the release of the fund.

Please get back to me through my personal email address: tombradley777@gmail.com so that I can give you more details and directives.

God be with you.

Regards,
Tom Bradley Jr.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam