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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: "Suzana Online" <suzana@suzanaonline.com>
Reply-To: suzana8@netzero.com
Date: Thu, 07 Apr 2005 08:32:05 +0000
Subject: Please Help Me !!!

FROM:
MRS. SUZANA NUHAN VAYE.
Liberia.

ATTN: Sir/Madam,

Kindly accepts my apology for sending my mail to you. I am a true God
fearing person, and I want you to trust me and help me out in this my
condition. I believe you are a highly respected personality, considering the
fact that I sourced your profile from a human resource profile database on
your country in the Internet.

Though, I do not know to what extent you are familiar with events and
fragile political situation in Liberia but it has formed consistent
headlines in the CNN, BBC news bulletins.

My Name is MRS. SUZANA NUHAN VAYE from Liberia, a Country in West Africa. My
late Husband is Isaac Nuhan Vaye, Deputy Minister of Public Works in
Liberia. My Husband was falsely accused of plotting to remove the then
PRESIDENT OF LIBERIA CHARLES TAYLOR) from office. Without trial, Charles
Taylor killed him. You can verify this from some of the international
newspapers posted in the web sites below:

(I)http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2003-07-15-liberia_x.htm
(ii) http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20030716/449_66 21.asp

Two days before the arrest and killing of my husband, he handed over to me a
document of two trunk boxes he deposited with a diplomatic courier security
firm in France. He told me further that the two boxes were moved out
secretly without disclosure of its content to the carrier agent because it
was tagged as diplomatic baggages. The contents of these two boxes are cash
funds of $7 Million USD each, and all-total $14 Million USD for the two
trunk boxes. He explained further that the funds was transformed into
un-exchangeable denomination (disguised to look like Macro Film Plates) with
the assistance of a chemist, so as to also make it possible for the boxes to
successfully pass through customs inspection units if they decide to carry
out an inspection on the boxes secretly on their own. The box is already in
the vault of the security firm in France awaiting claim, and the security
firm does not know the content of the boxes. And even if they should see the
content, they will never identify it to be money because it was declared to
them to be macro film plate (Photographic film materials in disguise) and
you should clear it as such.

Fortunately, I am the beneficiary/next of kin he designated to claim these
boxes should he is absent or in the cases of fatal illness or death. This he
did as if he knew what was going to happen to him, and for the sake of
uncertainty. But it was so unfortunate that he was killed before time, just
two days after he has revealed all these information to me. This is very
saddened. I prayed that let not such incident happens to you. Now my family
is being marginalized and brutally treated and was kept in isolation of
participant in any event in my country. The worse of it all was that we have
been restricted from traveling abroad and the government seized all our
traveling documents, and we’ve been placed under security surveillance to
monitor all our activities. I am completely devastated and incapacitated to
travel to France for the claim of the boxes, hence I am contacting you for
your solemnly assistance to help me go to France and receive the boxes.

I have secretly without the knowing of anyone written to the security
deposit firm in France and letting them know about my situation and my
intention to appoint a representative whom I shall delegate with my power of
attorney to come to their office to receive the boxes on my behalf since I
am sanction not to travel out of my country. But most importantly, is to
quicken the process of this transfer of ownership of the two boxes to your
name, so as to prevent my government from detecting such deposits belonging
to my late husband, otherwise it would be confiscated and my future will be
finished. The security company is at standby waiting for my instructions and
my representative to enable them to carry out their course of action.

I am therefore soliciting for your loyalty, trustworthiness and cooperation
to help me to stand as my representative to go to France and receive these
boxes on my behalf from the diplomatic security firm and wisely invest the
funds in any viable and lucrative business in your country pending when I
would find a way to escape from my country to be with you. I am granting you
an open negotiation to decide or say what I can offer you as reward for your
assistance in this regard. I want in your continual efforts, to hold the
funds in your absolute control. I would also be glad to settle down in your
country if you can help me to arrange for immigrant visa.

If you are interested to help me, please respond swiftly via my telephone or
by return mail and furnish me with your detailed info so I would notify the
security company to contact you.

I will issue you my power of attorney as soon as you indicate your interest
to help me.

You should observe utmost confidentiality, and rest assured that this
transaction would be most profitable for both of us.

Please your urgent response is needed.

Best Regards.

MRS.SUZANA NUHAN VAYE (WIDOW)


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