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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 SARAH GOPAL" <mrssarah_gopal@yahoo.co.uk> (may be fake)
Reply-To: sarah_g@arabtop.net
Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 16:57:16 +0400
Subject: URGENT REPLY

MRS SARAH GOPAL,
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT.
FOREIGN REMITTANCE DEPT.
EMIRIATE BANK OF U.A.E. CONFIDENTIAL.
Good day,

Got to know of you in search for a reputable and reliable
person to assist me in an urgent need requiring utmost
trust and confidentiality,while browsing the internet after
I and my colleagues have decided on what to do as regards the matter.
I am MRS SARAH GOPAL, the manager Bills and Exchange
under foreign remittance department of Emirate Bank of
Dubai U.A.E International. I am writing this letter to ask for your
support and co-operation to carry out this business
opportunity in my department.
We discovered an abandoned sum of US$24.million in an
account that belongs to one of our foreign customer who
died along with his entire family of a wife and three
children in October 1998,in a plane crash.
Do send your private telephone and fax number
including the full details of the account to be used for
the deposit. I want us to meet face to face or sign a
binding agreement to bind us together so that you can
receive this money into a foreign account or any account of
your choice where the fund will be safe and I will fly to
your country for withdrawal and sharing and other
investments.
To commence this transaction, we require you to immediately
indicate your interest by a return response.
My warm regards,
MRS SARAH GOPAL.



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