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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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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: alhja.madinaouatara10@yahoo.com
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:07:12 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: ***URGENT ATTN***


I have a new email address!You can now email me at: alhja.madina_ouatara05@yahoo.ca

***URGENT ATTN***

- Dear Sir,I am Alhja Medina Ouatara the wife of Mr. Kamba Ouatara the former Director of Burkina-Faso Gold Mines in Ouagadougou.I got your contact from your country’s chamber of commerce and my spirit welcomes to deal with you. Before the death of my husband he was able to secure 65kg of alluvial gold dust and the sum of us$12.5m (twelve million five hundred thousand United States dollars) with a safekeeping company in Accra Ghana, because of the problems he was having with the president of the country then. Now is 5yrs since his death and I believe everybody’s eyes are out of the family then i decided to use the deposit to take care of my children. I have gone to the security company in Ghana and have spoken with the director about the collection of the deposit which I was used as the next of kin. My plans are to take both the money and the metal to your country where I choose to live with my children till they grow, sell the metal there and then invest them in the country. I need you to help me take care of the boxes to your country with me and my children, help me to sell the gold dust and also help me to invest the money in your country. i am a widow with four children i have no body expect my God,this deposit is the only hope we have now because the Government seized all my husbands’ property and taking care of the Children as you know is not easy. I am willing to give you 20% of the money just for you to help us safeguard this wealth so that my children wouldn’t suffer when they grow up.God will help you for helping others that ran to you for help, please kindly reach me so that we arrange on how to meet. Expecting your soonest reply. Yours faithfully,Alhja M.Ouatara


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