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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: "Peter Williams" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <pwilliamsagen@aol.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2012 21:45:59 -1200
Subject: Work From Home..............

Attn: Prospective Shopper,

Good Day, Your email passed through our system and you have been qualified to become a mystery shopper. Reply as soon as you get this message with your complete details like your full name,address,city,state,zip code,phone number etc.
If you can attach your resume then it would be better,its an option.

Acknowledge Receipt Of This Message.

Regards,
pwilliamsagen@aol.com
Peter Williams.



Anti-fraud resources: