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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: "Mrs.Mariama Ba Yun" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <pureheart11@mail.mn>
Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2011 09:25:22 -0000
Subject: "A MESSAGE YOU MUST READ" FOR THE POOR

From: Mrs.Mariama Ba

Beloved,

Compliments of the day to you! By this e-mail, I do sincerely Apologize for my intrusion of your privacy. However, I have a serious concern with which I believe you might be of help and for this reason, I can not but reach out to someone - a fellow beloved. I am Mariama Ba, the mother to Gerard St. Germaine and Yvette St. Germaine who both died untimely in an Egypt Air crash of 1999. You can view this web site for your perusal and find the names of my Children who also perished in that ill fated air disaster.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/egyptair/article/0,,196602,00.htm

I am from the country of Malaysia and married to a Chinese, CHEN YUN BA. I lost my husband for almost 3 years now and I have been living with this pain till date. We are hospitable people and decided to serve mankind to the best of our
ability. Since the death of my children (Gerard St. Germaine and Yvette St. Germaine),I have lived with the memories,fighting effortlessly to lead a normal life but all to no avail. I suffered mentally and psychologically and shortly
was diagnosed of Cancer. I lived with the scourge praying earnestly for divine intervention. Just a month ago, the doctor informed me that I have just about a month more to live. I was shocked. I accepted the news in good fate.

Beloved, it is in this regard that I write to you, having sourced your address from a database in my late children's internet dozier after fervent prayers. Before their death, my family had a joint deposited sum of $5.6 Million (Five
Million Six Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) with a Finance company. I have wholeheartedly decided to donate the entirety of this fund to any devoted believer or organization and to achieve this, I need a devoted Christian individual that will utilize this fund adherently for these purposes:

1: FOR THE PROPAGATION OF PROFITABLE SOCIETAL DEEDS
2: FOR THE SICK,LESS-PRIVILEGED AND DESTITUTE
3: FOR THE WIDOWS AND THE MOTHERLESS BABIES E.G.

These are the wishes of a dying woman. They are the desires of my heart, hence my decision as I do not have a child to take over my inheritance. All I need from you is Truthfulness, Honesty and Sincerity assuring me that you can in all
honesty and obedience utilize the funds for the purpose with which it is meant.
In any a case, a quick response from you will be highly appreciated as I am already on a count-down and may not have ample time to finalize the procedures. Any delay in response may compel me to source for other measures or perhaps choose the alternative which I will not be happy to. Please, do not see this as a strange possibility or an unbelievable opportunity to make wealth, rather see this as a rare chance to assist the less privileged in truth and in spirit with
a substance.

I AWAIT YOUR IMMEDIATE RESPONSE.

MARIAMA BA YUN

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