419 scam: "Abu Bakr" <hejiangtao@nti.com.cn> ASSISTANCE

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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:
- "trunk box" (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 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
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.
- abubakr998@yahoo.co.jp (Yahoo, Japan; can be used from anywhere worldwide)

Fraud email example:

From: "Abu Bakr" <hejiangtao@nti.com.cn>
Reply-To: "Abu Bakr" <abubakr998@yahoo.co.jp>
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2015 20:52:43 +0800
Subject: ASSISTANCE

Good day,

Looking for assistance!

I am Abu Bakr, a rebel leader here in Aleppo Syria,
I and my second in command came across some parked
trunk box, worth over $ 350 million,

In President Bashar AL-Assad's allies house,
we moved the trunk box out of the war zone to the United

Nations office as medical equipment,

But we are looking for reliable person, who will save this trunk box

on his/her custody pending when we are going to finish

fight here in my country Syria.

If you can be of a help,

kindly contact me through this
private e-mail: abubakr998@yahoo.co.jp

Yours sincerely

Abu Bakr

Message sent using Winmail Mail Server

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam