419 scam: "Houska Richards"<mmsds@mail.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:

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)
- "with absolute secrecy" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "abuja" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
This email message is a next of kin 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.
- houskarichards@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Houska Richards" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <houskarichards@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 26 Aug 2014 03:04:50 -0700
Subject: Dear Friend,

Dear Friend,

I am sorry for this interruption. I have no other way to reach you than these ways if the contents here under are contrary to your moral ethics. Please accept my apology, but please treat with absolute secrecy and personal.

With due regards, my name is Houska Richards,a banker by profession in Abuja and currently holding the post of Director Auditing and Accounting unit of my bank.

There is a draft account opened in my bank in 1998 by a long-time client of our bank,a national of your country.He was a CEO/a textile company owner, business man,a miner at Kruger mining company here in Abuja, he was also a geologist and a mining consultant to several other mining conglomerates operating in Cambodia, china, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Vietnam all in Asia.

Before he passed away on the November 16th 2006 by car accident with his wife and two children along Cambodia Vietnam road, leaving nobody as the representative of his account after his death. The amount in this account is currently $28,625,370.00.I want to present you as the representative I will use my position and influence in our bank to make sure they release this money to you for us to share.

Yours Sincerely
Houska Richards
E-mail: houskarichards@hotmail.com

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam