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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: "Kadia" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <kadiajalil@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:19:09 +0100
Subject: RE: Kadia

Hello,

My name is Kadia, I got your contact from my late husband's friend who used to work with the Libyan embassy. I am seeking for help in respect of some money which I need to invest abroad. I am from Libya and my husband was one of the key freedom fighters that wanted the present Leader (Gaddafi) out of power but he was mysteriously killed as he was arranging for us to leave the country. My husband was an oil magnet and he moved most of his money abroad with the help of a foreign diplomat for a fee and now most of the money is in storage houses in Europe without the company knowing the contents of the boxes.

I and my two kids are in hiding in Turkey as refugees and I do not know who to deal with as I do not know who to trust. Anyway, the money in question is in excess of $70 Million, all I need is a trusted person that will claim the boxes on my bahalf and we could enter into a partnership investment or I offer you 30% of the money for your help, it depends on which option you prefer. Because of my status as a refugee here, I cant do much, so, I need all the help I can get now to protect the future of my kids. If you can help me, I have all the deposit certificates/documents, all I have to do is to give you a mandate to act on my behalf. Waiting to hear from you and please, keep it to yourself.

Regards, Kadia.

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