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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. Ahalam" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mrs.ahalam44@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2014 07:53:27 -0000
Subject: Dearest Beloved One

Dearest Beloved One
 
I have not considered this medium to be the best manner to have approached you of this issue being that the internet has been
 
greatly abused over the recent years, I have decided to use this means seeing no other means could have been faster to reach
 
you than the e-mail.  I am Mrs. Ahalam Abdul Joseph from London, United Kingdom. I am married to Late Mr. Abdulhaq Ali of
 
blessed memory who was a well-known Gold dealer from Kuwait to London for throughout his life before he died in the year
 
2010. We were married for 11 years without a child.
Before his sudden death we were devoted Muslims. When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of One Million British
 
Pound Sterling (£ 1.000.000.00 GBP) in a fix deposit account with one of the banks here in London, using my name as the
 
beneficiary since we could not bear a child, Presently this money is still with the bank in United Kingdom and I am very sick
 
from cancer of the lung despite the fibroid and tumor which denied me a child when my husband was alive as a result I may not
 
last till the next two months according to my doctor’s report, so I want to donate this fund to a Muslim organization or
 
individual who will use it to work for Allah and I have chosen you after making several prayer consultations.
I want this money to be shared among the less privileged since I do not have a child to inherit it and my late husband
 
relatives are all Non-believers and I don't want my husband’s hard earned money to be used by unbelievers since I am sure
 
that they will not utilize the money in the way I have directed. Hence the reason for taking this bold decision, I know that
 
after death I will be with Allah the most holy and the most merciful.
It is a very important confidential massage that I will like to tell you more about it, so get in touch with me so that I can
 
fully detail you what I chose you for and as well give you a little knowledge on how to achieve it.
Any delay in your response will give me room to seek for another organization or individual for this same purpose.
Until I hear from you, my dreams lay hugely on your shoulders.
 
Sincerely,
 
Mrs. Ahalam

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