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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.

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Fraud email example:

From: "Mark Dave" <markdave@markdave.com>
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 10:53:18 +0000
Subject: Greetings:

PLEASE REPLY THROUGH THIS EMAIL; markdave@o2.pl
Greetings:
You may be surprised to receive my letter, however, I got your contact from
the Chamber of Commerce and Trade. I have decided to contact you for
confidential, urgent and rewarding joint business.
My name is MARK DAVE, I was a Personal Assistant to the
Late Congo President, LAURENT KABILA, who was assasinated in February and my
aim of writing to you is because of the need for a trusted and honest
person,
who I can entrust the sum of US$15,500,000 (fifteen million, five hundred
thousand USDollars).
Source of the money: I and the late president secured this money in a
security firm in ABROAD, in my name before his death.

Now that he is late, I want to transfer the money out of the security
company, for investment in your country, I can not travel out of where I am
on asylum, hence I am asking for your assistance to have this money in your
care pending when I will secure travel documents to come over to your
country.If you accept this offer we shall share the
money as follows: for you, 30%, 70% for me. I have all the title documents
to the fund which I can transfer to you to enable you have assess to it. Be
assured
that is risk-free and legitimate.
Please advise me on your position by this e-mail;
markdave@o2.pl
immedaitely, Please I await your
prompt reply.
MR MARK DAVE


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