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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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Fraud email example:

From: "william zongo" <zongo_william@gobot.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: zongo_william2@luxmail.com
Date: Sun, 5 Sep 2004 20:36:47 +0100
Subject: for mutual benefit.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am a Liberian, Resident in Accra Ghana West Africa.I wish to let you know that iam William Zongo son of late Mr Wisdom Zongo. My father was a gold merchant in Liberia before he died.Due to his wealth he sponsored a lot of politicians but he never held any political position before he died.
Unfortunately the war started,my father was killed by rebels and me and my mother escaped out of Liberia.The country was so rough that a lot of people fled out of Liberia for their lives.
Before the war started in Liberia,my late father(WISDOM ZONGO) was able to transfer the sum of 55 million U.S dollars from his bank in Liberia to bank of Ghana for safe keeping because he did not want to loose all that he has worked for in life.Presently,we need your help beacuse the bank here in Ghana has their affiliated office in the United Kingdom(U.K.)and it is from the U.K that the money will be remitted to your own account.That is why we need your help so that you can contact them in U.K that you are the new beneficiary to this money.
Presently,Me and my mother are living in Ghana as refugees.We will be very much pleased if you can use your name to transfer the money into your account for investment purpose and to take us away from africa to your country to invest this fund for us and equally buy a house for us.
NOTE:
1.We will enter in to an agreement before the money will be remitted to you from U.K.to avoid problems and arguement in the future.
2.This should be a top secret between you and my family for the safety of the money.
3.We will be going to the high court here to do the change of ownership of the documents to your name and also get a power of attorney so that the money can be legally remitted to you without questioning.
Please help us because I will like to hear from you if you can or not, because my father has died and we believe God gave us this money as compensation of my father's death. If I see your reply,my mother will write to the bank letting them know that you are my late fathers foriegn partner and instructing them to call you or we will give you details on how you will contact the bank so that the fund will be transfered into your account.
Hoping to read from you soonest and please reply to this email address (zongo_william2@luxmail.com)
Thanks,
WILLIAM ZONGO.



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