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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: "MRS BEATRICE SPIFF" <ladybeatricespiff2@walla.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: ladybeatricespiff@walla.com
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 12:19:12 +0200
Subject: private.

Dear sir,
I crave your indulgence at sending this mail coming from somebody you have not known before. I decided to do this after praying over the situation. You should please consider the transaction on its content and not the fact that you have not known me before. I need not dwell on how I came by your contact information because there are many such possibilities these days.
I would like to introduce myself as Mrs. Beatrice Spiff., of Republic of Benin, widow to Late Mr. Usman Spiff (for Consular of the benin embassy in Madrid, Spain. I have recently been daigonosed of Cancer of the Pelvics. I am writing from my sick bed.
There is this US$6.8Million my husband has in an account with the Financial Bank, Benin of which I am the next of kin. With my health condition and because my husband and I have no children, I am looking for a credible person to whom I will pass the right of next of kin. This person will apply to the bank and request for the transfer of the fund to his/her bank account.
This is on the condition that you will take 25% of the fund for yourself, 5% used for expenses, while you will use the remaining 70% for the less previlege people in the society. This is in fulfilment of the last request of my husband: that a substantial part of the fund be used to carter for the less previleged.
If this condition is acceptable to you, you should contact me immediately with your full names and contact information so that I will ask our family lawyer to prepare the authorization that will give you the right of next of kin to the account in the bank. I will also give you a text of the application you are to send to the bank.
I cannot predict what will be my fate by the time the fund will be transfered into your account, but you should please ensure that the fund is used as i have described above.
ladybeatricespiff@walla.com
I look forward to your response.
Yours,
Mrs. Beatrice Spiff.



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