419 scam: "Mr. Barry Alexander"<barralexander@post.com> Urgent Response Needed!!

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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "million dollars" (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)
- "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)
- "transaction is risk free" (almost true for the criminal trying to scam you - arrests of online criminals are rare)
- "robert mugabe" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. Barry Alexander" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <barryalexander039@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2018 17:32:18 -0700
Subject: Urgent Response Needed!!

Dear Friend,

My name is Barry Alexander, I am the financial adviser to Mrs. Grace Mugabe the wife of the former president of Zimbabwe, (Robert Mugabe). I have a proposal of extreme importance I would like you to look into, we happen to have the sum of $55, 000,000.00 Fifty Five Million Dollars in our possession but would like to know if we can invest it in your custody for proper legitimate use.

I will be looking forward to a positive reply from you with hopes that you will accept our request. Do note that this transaction is risk free for I have the necessary documentations that will back up this transaction to see it to a successful end.

Once you accept this request, we can set up a face to face meeting and take it from there. Thank you for taking your time out to go through this message. Communication through phone will be established when request is accepted. We will sign a Memorandum of understanding upon your acceptance to work with me while mode of sharing and percentage will be discussed.

Accept my assurances of highest esteem.

Best regards,

Barry Alexander.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam