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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: james_moyo@hotmail.com
Date: Sat, 09 Apr 2005 12:19:35 +0200
Subject: RE:PROPOSAL FOR INVESTMENT ASSISTANCE!

FROM Mr. James Moyo
34 Gallo Court, 3 Avenue
Florida 1710
Johannesburg South Africa
E-Mail Address: james_moyo@hotmail.com
Tel:27-73-560-5549


Dear Madam/Sir

I am Mr. James Moyo a Zimbabwean and the son of Mr. John Moyo, a renowned Farmer
in Bulawayo Town in Zimbabwe. I write on behalf of the Moyo's family, to request
if you are available and have the facility to assist my family undertake some
capital investment in your country. It will be necessary
to inform you that the {US$18.5M} Eighteen million Five Hundred Thousand United
States Dollars) intended for capitalization of the investments are presently in
the custody of a private security company here in Johannesburg, South Africa
which we require to Transfer out of South Africa immediately for the said
investment purposes.

You may have heard of the present crisis in Zimbabwe orchestrated by the
unprecedented Land use Act of the government of Robert Mugabe in which his
government has arbitrarily reclaimed and acquired all farm lands owned by the
white farmers in the country. This has caused a historical
displacement of the white folks who are known to be the country's main farmers.
The ensuing struggles and strife have brought about the killing and imprisonment
of thousands of these white farm owners by the ruthless government forces
designated to enforce this new order.

My father, in his good will, joined the international community in condemning
and speaking out against this uncivilized and bizarre policy of Robert Mugabe's
government. As a result of my father firm and upright position on this matter, a
group of assailants suspected to be government sympathizers attached and killed
my father in cold blood in February last year. Seeing that the entire Moyo's
family was in serious threat of extinction, we immediately fled Zimbabwe to
South Africa, where we have sojourned ever since as refugees under the United
Nations.

Prior however, to my father untimely death he had, sensing the rising
hostilities, sold some of his farm lands including those of some of his white
farmer associates who had transferred ownership of their farm lands to my father
to forestall the government acquiring them. My father secretly sent the proceeds
{US$18.5M} Eighteen million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) from
sales of the farm lands to South Africa. And deposited it in a metal box with a
private security company here in Johannesburg.

Having seen your contact information in your country’s business journal, we now
contact you for immediate assistance in lifting the funds out of South Africa
for the said investments. It will interest you also to note that we have all
this while articulated the needful arrangements through which
the transfer will be affected. To come to terms with you regarding your reward
for helping us actualize this matter, we have agreed to offer you 20% of the
total money, 5% will be mapped out for the expenses we may incur during this
transaction then 75% will be for me and my family. It is equally important to
state here that considering the nature of this matter, we will required that it
is handled most discreetly.

Kindly, contact me using the above E-MAIL ADDRESSES upon receipt of this letter
for execution details and other necessary discussion. In anticipation of your
trusted and Genuine assistance I remain,

yours sincerely

Mr. James Moyo

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