419 scam: "Mrs.Bessel Harris." <shannon@weed.ca.us> ©2016 WORLD INTERNET PROGRAMS®.

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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:
- "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)
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.
- nelsonwilliams176@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mrs.Bessel Harris." <shannon@weed.ca.us>
Reply-To: <nelsonwilliams176@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2016 13:59:04 -0300
Subject: ©2016 WORLD INTERNET PROGRAMS®.

Attention: Prominent Internet user,

How are you today? We hope this mail meets you in a perfect condition. This is a total cash prize of United States $500,000.00 given to the first TEN (10) people compensated in this WORLD INTERNET PROGRAMS. All participants were selected randomly from World Wide Web site through computer draw system and extracted from over 50,00 companies worldwide.

We are using this opportunity to thank you for using the Internet daily. Due to your effort, using Internet daily, we want to compensate you and show our gratitude to you with the sum of $500,000.00 only, We have arranged your payment through our swift card centers, which is the latest instruction from International Monetary Fund Reconciliation Office {IMF}.

The card center will send you an ATM Visa card which you will use to withdraw your money in any ATM machine, Banks and Union Pay Credit outlets in the world; you are hereby selected as an honor for this payment approval, which you are to acknowledge the receipt of this mail to the Logistic Department by email listed below.

Your ID: 345HE45

Claim Number: 809366E

Contact Agent. Mr Nelson Williams with below e-mail;

Compensation Office and Logistics Vaults

E-mail: nelsonwilliams176@gmail.com

Contact Agent: Mr Nelson Williams

Mobile number: +1775-557-6530

Thanks and God bless you and your family. Hope to hear from you soon.

Yours Faithfully,

Mrs.Bessel Harris.

©2016 WORLD INTERNET PROGRAMS®.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam