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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: samuel_masal@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 23:51:29 +0200
Subject: FROM THE DESK OF DR. SAMUEL MASALA

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES SANDTON TOWERS, JOHANNESBURG P.M.B. 12701 SOUTH AFRICA FROM THE DESK OF: Dr. Samuel Masala M.sc (Manager 14 Project Allocation)

CONFIDENTIAL

E:MAIL: masala@dr.com

Dear Sir,

It is indeed my pleasure to request for business partnership with great pleasure, I write to solicit for your assistance in a matter that can be of mutual benefit to us. I only pray that you read through carefully and response as promptly as possible. Precisely, in the year 2000, the Ministry of Minerals and Energy in South Africa where I work as a Manager of 14 Project Allocation, received presidential irrevocable circular order requesting the ministry to compile and forward the list of all past foreign contractors, whose contract payments are pending since the period of the immediate past regime of Dr, Nelson Mandela and the present regime.

The purpose of this exercise was for the present South Africa elected government to pay foreign contractors all debt owned, so as to maintain good relationship with other foreign government and non-governmental financial agencies. In light of the above, my colleagues and I duty to the past contractors, decided to include a company’s name with a bill of {USD$11.5 Million United State Dollars} along side other company’s name and their respective bill for payment impression that {Alliance Mining SA PTY} which we incorporated here for this exercise, also carried out contractual works of supply to the ministry as well as other.

With the co-operation of top senior colleagues of mine we are confident that our claim of {USD$11.5Million} shall be granted being for contract work executed at the Ministry of Minerals and Energy, payment shall then be transferred upon approval to a safe account that would be provided by you in other words, if you accept to be our partner then you shall be considered given the pertinent documentation to certify that your company had been awarded a contract already executed, for which your company shall be paid the sum of USD$11.5Million.Please be informed that with the South Africa government monetary policy. Government official’s employees are not allowed to operate or to own bank account abroad hence our decision to seek a foreign partner.

Please note, the legitimacy of this transaction is well pronounce, which I will personally explain to you over the telephone to determine your true position. I have the authority of my colleagues involved to propose that your consent to this transaction will be highly compensated by a percentage agreed upon by both parties after a successful completion of this project. Further information’s concerning the transaction shall be forwarded to you upon your response to this letter.

I can assure you that my partners and I are in a position to make this payment claim possible, provided you can give us the assurance and guarantee that our share will be secured. Visualize this opportunity as an indirect financial resource; also note that your area of specialization is not a hindrance in the successful execution of this transaction, endeavour to contact me immediately by the above email because we will not compromise this transaction with any form of exposure, as we are still in active civil servant.

Thank you and God bless, as I wait in anticipation of your fullest co-operation.

Yours Faithfully,

Dr Samuel Masala

E:MAIL: masala@dr.com

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