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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: "Mr.Ogar Aaron" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <ogaron4@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2014 21:01:51 +0200
Subject: CRITICAL INVESTIGATION FROM THE "SPECIAL FRAUD UNIT (SFU) OF NIGERIAN POLICE OVER A SUDDEN DEATH CLAIM

Attention:Owner of this email user.
 
 
Please in a matter of few minutes, confirm to us the authenticity or otherwise of the claim that the owner of the above email Address is dead of Cardiac attack necessitating, as a Gift of $15.75Million Inheritance to Mr.Thompson Hollace of United States backed up with a duly executed Deed of assignment in his favor.
 
Though the transfer was done in the morning today, but on security information, we intercepted and stopped the transfer pending satisfactory  clarifications on the observed security irregularities. Our stoppage of the transfer is only for 24 hrs. If there is no response as demanded from you immediately, it will be deemed acquiescence and authenticated and certified and we therefore will allow the transfer to flow. But if the death claim is false, quickly send the rebuttal to us with a reconfirmation of your details as below stated:
 
(1)Name:
(2)Address:
(3)Telephone numbers :
 
As soon as you have sent that to us by email, then give me a brief call to confirm receipt of the mail or otherwise.
 
Yours Faithfully,
Mr.Ogar Aaron
Commissioner of Police, In Charge of,
Special Fraud Unit, SFU, Lagos.
13, Millerton Road, Ikoyi, Lagos,  Nigeria.
Phone: 234- 808-336-4057

Anti-fraud resources: