419 scam: "Rio Tinto Australia."<info@rio.com> (no subject)

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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:
- "claims office" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
- "00,000.00" (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)
- "dear beneficiary," (this SPAM email was probably sent to thousands of people)
- "dr.bradkess23@outlook.com" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
This email message is a fake lottery scam. Consider the following facts about real lotteries:
1. They don't notify winners by email.
2. You can't win without first buying a lottery ticket.
3. They don't randomly select email addresses to award prizes to.
4. They don't use free email accounts (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) to communicate with you.
5. They don't tell you to call a mobile phone number.
6. They don't tell you to keep your winnings secret.
7. They will never ask a winner to pay any fees to receive a prize!
This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
- +447053860758 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: "Rio Tinto Australia." (may be fake)
Reply-To: <dr.bradkess23@outlook.com>
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 14:12:50 -0800
Subject:

Rio Tinto Australia.
Address: Sydney Office
Unit 7, No.3 Gibbes Street
Chatswood NSW 2067
Website: www.riotinto.com.au

Dear Beneficiary,

Our company just started a Promotion this year to promote our global publicity & reputations as we plan to exploit more corners of the World with our highly valued product lines. This Promotion is just one of the way we can use to achieve our Global Vision and also reach out to the less privilege, due to the global/ financial crisis especially in the Asia and European Region.

Your e-mail address with Rio ID: CXV-l9P-02FE was luckily drawn to be this year's Third place Winner of a brand new Range Rover 2013 updated model; and a cash prize of Five Hundred Thousand Australian Dollars ($500,000.00 AD). This money and gift we believe will enable you make some impact in the society and possibly invest in our company.

You are hereby requested to contact our Promo Representative in the European Region for more details on how to claim your prize. Do ensure you inform Dr. Brad Kess who is our Promo Representative in the European Region which his claims office is based in UK and can understand English and some other Languages. See details of him below;

Name: Dr. Brad Kess
E-mail: dr.bradkess23@outlook.com
Address: Suite (123) 4 Little Portland Street,
London W1W 7JB.
Telephone: +44-7053-860-758

When contacting Dr. Brad Kess you should include the following if you must get a response from him:

*** Your Full Name:
*** Address:
*** Phone Number:
*** Age:
*** Gender:
*** Occupation:
*** Religion:
*** Winning E-mail and Rio ID:

We know you must be excited about this news you have just received from us and the truth is that, we are doing this to put smiles into homes and hearts of people Worldwide. This is the first time ever this company has been involved in a Promo like this, and we decided to organize it due to the Disaster that was caused by Earth Quakes/ Rain and Tsunami Disasters that happened Especially in the Asian Region. We just want victims to know that we have them in heart and make them feel loved and cared for once again.

On behalf of the entire management and staffs of the Rio Tinto Australia, I say a big Congratulation to you and your entire household.

Rio Tinto is one of the world's leading producers of rough diamonds with three diamond mines and a fourth advanced diamond project.

In Australia Rio Tinto owns the Argyle Diamond Mine, located in the rugged East Kimberley region of Western Australia. Operating since 1983, the Argyle Diamond Mine is the world's largest producer of coloured diamonds, including champagnes, cognacs, greys, and the rarest of all, pink diamonds.

Rio Tinto sells its Argyle production as predominantly rough diamonds, except for the rare Argyle pink diamonds, which are cut and polished in Perth, Western Australia.

Signed,
Mr. Paul Snail
( Secretary Rio Tinto Australia)

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam