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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: <mariamalq@rediffmail.com>
Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:48:00 +0100
Subject: My Message to you.

Assalamu Alaikum,
 
 
Good day please permit me into your privacy;
 
 
My name is Mariam Alqram, wife of late Dr. Hassan Alqram, a prominent human right defender and also one of the financial director of National Oil Corporation of Libya {NOC} in Tripoli Who was sudden killed on the 10 May 2008 in Omar Almoukhtar, at 9pm has been a shock to me and my children. Before the death of my late husband, he gave me document of the deposited sum of [$11.000, 000, 00 Million United States Dollars] for the up keeping future of our children.
 
 
I and my late husband where disguise while traveling to Benin Republic, where we deposited the money in a security and finance company outside our country for the future of our children. I want you to know that, my late husbands family has succeed in collecting all the money and properties of my late husband here in Libya, threatening to kill me if I speak with any one, leaving me with nothing.
 
 
As things stands now, none of them is aware of the deposit that we made outside our country, apart from you and I, Meanwhile I want you to know that the most wicked elder brother of my late husband died along the Libyan crisis being on Gaddafi side. I pray that I and my children will be free this year been 2013 with your help.
 
 
I am contacting you today because I want you to help me in securing of the money for the future of my children in the name of Allah please help us out. I want you to know that my late husband family made it impossible for me to have access to calls or to move out of the house as they always monitor me. I'm writing you with my children's laptop please I need your help.
 
 
I will give you the entire requirement that you will use to claim the money out from the security company without my present. I will give you 30% of the total money for your assistance if you are willing to help me, please contact me back for more details thank you.
 
 
Best regards,
 
Mrs. Mariam Alqram.

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