419 scam: "GRAEME PITTMAN" <ladams@smith-valley.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:

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:
- "western union" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "money gram" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "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.
Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
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.
- graemecliffordpittman@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "GRAEME PITTMAN" <ladams@smith-valley.com>
Reply-To: graemecliffordpittman@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 2 Nov 2022 01:50:53 -0400
Subject:

I am Mr. Graeme Pittman, Chairman of Compensation Award Committee, highly
placed official of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)It may interest
you to know that reports have reached our office by so many correspondence
on the uneasy way which people like you are treated by Various Banks and
Courier Companies across Europe to Africa and Asia and we have decided to
put a stop to that and that is why i was appointed to handle your
transaction here in United States.

From my record it shows that you have been denied payment and this was
supposed to be either your Inheritance fund, Lottery, IMF, Bank transfer,
Fund compensation etc, I forwarded your report to our Scam Victim
Investigation department to know why your transfer wasn’t made to you,
they confirmed that the person who contacted you to make claims played a
fast one on you, there by deceiving you with all sort of fake stories,
documents and fees while he didn’t have any genuine funds to transfer to
you.

With full hopes, I have demanded that a compensation should be made to you
immediately without delay for all the funds you have lost via Western
Union Money Transfer, Money Gram and other transfer means,the sum of
$1,700,000.00 USD has been agreed to be issued to you as your scam victim
compensation which will be send to via personal delivery, Check or Bank
wire transfer, anyone that's suitable for you.

With this few methods of payment meant specially for our compensation
clients, you can deposit and cash the checks from Banks or any Credit
Union, also you can provide your Bank account on where to transfer the
Money.

I want to use this medium to let you know that our previous ( 4 ) clients
all secured their CERTIFICATE OF CLAIM and their payment was done and
completed.

Please be advised to re-confirm to us this profile information so we will
be sure that you are rightful person to be compensated.

(1) Age:=
(2) Full Name:=
(3) Home Address:=
(4) Occupation:=
(5) Telephone Number:=

Kindly supply to us this required info so that arrangement can be made for
the payment process.

Mr. Graeme Pittman
E-Mail: graemecliffordpittman@gmail.com
Compensation Award Committee.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam