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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:

Fraud email example:

From: Lady Rita Ratnavale <ritaratnavalexx1@msn.com>
Reply-To: ritaratnavaleptivate1@msn.com
Date: Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:04:05 +0100
Subject: CAN I TRUST YOU!!!!!!



Greetings

I am sure this mail would be coming to you as a surprise since we have
never met
before and you would also be asking why I have decided to chose you
amongst the
numerous internet users in the world, precisely I cannot say why I have chosen
you but do not be worried for I come in peace and want you to me do one last
work i have now. As the island of Haiti experience a major earthquake
struck, I
will like to use this last chance to show as a philanthropist. Before I move
further, permit me to give you a little of my biography, I am Lady Rita
Ratnavale, 78 Years old woman and the wife of Sir Ratnavale Victor,
dual citizen
of Switzerland and Britain who died in a Plane crash on Monday the 7th of
September 1998 GMT 14:22 UK alongside with my daughter Joyce while they were
flying from New York to Geneva. Please see site below for more information.
http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9809/swissair.victims.list/index.html

After the death of my husband I became the Head of his investment and
now that I
am old and weak I have decided to spend the rest of my life in my
Ranch before i
finally leave the world, but before the death of my husband we had a
plan to use
the last days of our lives to donate half of what we have worked for
to the less
privileged and charity homes and the other half for ourselves, family members
and close friends, and it is so unfortunate that my husband is not alive today
to do this with me and I am very weak and old now, hence I have decided to do
this philanthropic work on behalf of my late husband. Presently, I have willed
out almost half of our assets to several charity homes and to some of the less
privilege in different countries. Despite the agreement between my
late husband
and I to give aid to the deprived, we also agreed to render support to an
individual we have not meet before in life due to the fact when we were still
young in life we received an anonymous help from an individual we did not know
and which we were never able to identify,the impact we got from such a gesture
made us to do same.

I am sorry to inform you that you will never have the chance to know
me because
I have just concluded the assignment which my husband and I have agreed upon
before his sudden death and you happened to be the beneficiary of our
last will.
hence I need you to do me a favor by accepting our offer and using it to help
the poor in Haiti,the Charitable home, Churches, Orphanage
homes,Motherless babe
home. I deposited some fund in the sum of £7.5M (Seven Million Five Hundred
Thousand British Pounds) with Financial Institution. Now all i needed from you
is to accept my offer,and conclude this transaction with good faith
and the fear
of God Almighty.

1) Can I completely trust you in this project?
(2) I am ready to offer you 35% of the total amount (£7.5Million Pounds)
(3) I am offering 65% percentage to the Charitable home, Churches, Orphanage
homes,Motherless babe home.

I leave you in peace to rest in the lord .

Yours Faithfully,

Lady Rita Ratnavale

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