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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: Larry Wolfe <larrywolfe32@ccdst.com>
Reply-To: wolfelarry45@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:59:23 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Letter From Lt. Col. Larry Wolfe

Dear Sir/Madam,

My name is Lt. Col. Larry leroy Wolfe, commander of the 1st Battalion 63rd
Armor Regiment here in Basra, Iraq

I have a very desperate need for Assistance and have summed up courage to
contact you.

I found your contact particulars in an address journal and I am seeking
your kind Assistance to move the sum of Twenty Million United States
dollars (USD$20,000,000) to you, as far as I can be assured that my share will be safe in your care Until i complete my service here.

Source of money: (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm)

some money in various currencies were discovered in barrels at a Farm House
near one of saddam old palace in Tikrit-Iraq during a rescue operation, and it was agreed by Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell IV and I that some part of this money be shared between both of us before informing anybody about it since both of us saw the money first.

This was quite an illegal thing to do, but I tell you what! no compensation can make up for the risk we have taken with our lives in this hell-hole, of which my brother in-law was killed by a road side bomb last time.

The above figure was given to me as my share, and to conceal this kind of money became a problem for me but with the help of a British contact working here and with his office enjoying some immunity, I was able to get the package out to a safe location with a Security Company and was declared as a military equipment.

He does not know the real contents of the package, and believes that it belongs to a British American medical doctor who died in a raid here in Iraq, And before he died, trusted me to hand over the package to his family.

I have now found a very secured way of getting the package out of Iraq to you at home for you to pick up either via bank to bank transfer or through diplomatic delivery. I will discuss this with you when I am sure that you are willing to assist me and that my money will be well secured in your hand.

I want you to tell me how many percentage you want from this money for the assistance you will give to me. One Passionate appeal I will make to you is not to discuss this matter with anybody. Should you have reasons to reject this offer, please and please destroy this message as any leakage of this information will be too bad for the U. S. soldiers here in Iraq.

I do not know how long we will remain here; month of May was the deadliest month for us out Here. totally, we lost 127 men and i have been shot, wounded and survived two suicide Bomb attacks by the special grace of God.

This and other reasons I will mention later has prompted me to reach out for your immediate assistance.

If you are interested, kindly forward your response to my personal contact
email box :wolfelarry45@yahoo.com

May God bless you and your family.
Regards,
Lt. Col. Larry Wolfe


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