419 scam: "Sgt. eric richardson" <smithd000001@gmail.com> Personally To You

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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:

The following fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
- "diplomatic immunity"
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "million 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)
- "can i trust you?" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "diplomatic immunity" ("diplomats" who perform deliveries of cash or other valuables to you only exist 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: "Sgt. eric richardson" <smithd000001@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 2009 21:28:22 +0100
Subject: Personally To You

Good day,
My name is Sgt. Eric Richardson, I am an American soldier, I am serving in
the military of the 1st Armored Division in Iraq, as you know we are being
attacked by insurgents everyday and car bombs. We managed to move funds
belonging to Saddam ussein's family in 2003. The total amount is US$25
Million dollars in cash, mostly 100 dollar bills, this money has been kept
somewhere outside Baghdad for sometime but with the speculated troop
withdrawal by president Obama, we are afraid that the money will be
discovered hence we want to move this money to you for safe keeping pending
the completion of our assignment here. You can go to this web link to read
about events that took place there:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm
we are ready to compensate you with good percentage of the funds, No strings
attached, just for you to help us move it out of Iraq. Iraq is a war zone,
so we plan on using diplomatic means in shipping the money out as military
cargo using diplomatic immunity. If you are interested I will send you the
full details, my job is to find a good partner that we can trust and that
will assist us. Can I trust you? When you receive this letter, kindly send
me an e-mail at sgt.eric20002000@live.com signifying your interest including
your most confidential telephone numbers for quick communication also your
contact details.
This is risk free.
With regards,
Sgt. Eric Richardson

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam