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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.

 

 

Fraud email example:

From: "helen johnson" <helenjohnson1176@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2005 16:04:25 +0200
Subject: VERY URGENT AND CONFIDENTIAL

FROM: MRS HELEN JOHNSON
HARARE ZIMBABWE
Telephone +27-83-503-1857
E-MAIL : madamjohnson@hotmail.com

ATTN: Director / C.E.O.

Good Day
PLEASE ASSIST MY FAMILY

I know you might be surprise to receive this mail letter from me since you
don’t know me personally. I am Mrs.Helen Johnson the wife of late Mr Michael
Dan Johnson ,Zimbabwe Farmer, the owner of Diary farms limited in Zimbabwe
and mikedan tobacco producing company limited and Vice Chairman Zimbabwean
Farm Community Development Trust Fund ,who was murdered by the Zimbabwean
war veterans and irate black people.

I got your contact address through a friend that works in South Africa
chamber of commerce and Industry here in South Africa, when I want to South
Africa lest week to see my son Anthony, though I did not disclose it to him,
hence I decided to write to you. I write to solicit for your special
assistance to my family Shattered by a tyrannical government led by a
dictator and his (ZANU-PF) ruling party, President ROBERT MUGABE. please
read the incudent in our country Zimbabwean from the links below.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/918781.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/715001.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1063785.stm

Because of land and farmland crisis in Zimbabwean the government secretly
sponsored the war Veterans and some irate party members to dispose the land
being occupied by the Blank and white farmers. This action has led to
killing of some members of opposition party including my husband who did not
support this ill-fated action. But before the death of my husband, he
anticipated some dangers and so he smuggled out the sum of US$25.5 million
dollars (Twenty five million five Hundred Thousand united state dollars) to
South Africa and deposited it in a Security Company With the intention of
using it for the purchase of farm machinery and chemicals for agricultural
Purpose in South Africa and establishment of a new farm in Swaziland.

This money was deposited in a box as family valuables to avoid much
demurrage in the Security Company. On the 29 august 2003 the war veterans
and some spotters of (ZANU-PF) ruling party trooped into our compound and
axed my husband to death and my second son of 22yrs. Since then they have
been terrorizing my family but we managed to escape to neighbouring country
South Africa as a political asylum seeker (refugee). Our position in South
Africa here does not permit my family to open an account or to operate any
business. That is why I want this fund to be transferred in your account or
company account's so that you will assist us to invest this money in your
country.

If you accept to assist us, all I want from you is to arrange and come down
to Johannesburg South Africa so that you can help us to open a non-resident
bank account in your name, or in your company name which will aid us in
transferring this money into your nominating account overseas.

I and my family have two options for you, firstly, you can choose to have
certain percentage of the money for nominating your account in this
transaction or we can go into partnership with you for the proper profitable
investment of the money in your country whichever the option you want fell
free to notify with my family. we will then furnish you with every detail
you needed to know.

We have also mapped out 5% of the total sum for any expenses that might be
incurred during the time of this transaction. If you do not prefer a
partnership, we are willing to give you 25% of the money while the remaining
70% will remain for my family, finally please treat this mater as urgent as
possible, we are in dire to leave this country soonest. Thanks for you’re
mutual co-operation.

I expecting your soonest and urgent response.

Best Regards,

MRS HELEN JOHNSON.
{for the family} Harare, Zimbabwe.

_________________________________________________________________
Startle on online friend with a 'nudge' - one of the great new features in
Messenger 7.0! http://messenger.msn.co.za?DI=1054&XAPID=2532

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