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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: "Thembalihle Hixonia Nyasulu" <nyasulu2001@katamail.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: nyasulu2001@netscape.net
Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 15:11:55 +0200
Subject:

Dear Sir

I am the Auditor General of one of the prime banks here in South Africa, during the course of our auditing, I discovered a floating fund in an account opened in the bank in 1996 and since 1998 nobody has operated on this account again, after going through some old files in the records I discovered that the owner of the account died without a [Heir/WILL] hence the money is in sundry and if I do not remit this money out urgently it will be forfeited to the bank as excess profit.

The owner of this account is a foreigner, a great industrialist and he died since 1998.No other person knows about this account or any thing concerning it, the account has no other beneficiary and my investigation proved to me as well that until his death he was the manager AGRI-GOLD ARK [pty]. SA. We will start the first transfer with Six million [$6,000.000] upon successful transaction without any disappoint from your side, we shall re-apply for the payment of the remaining rest amount to your account. The total amount involved is (USD 12M) Twelve million United States Dollars only.

However, we will sign a binding agreement, to bind us together when we meet face to face after the first transfer of $6 million before transferring the second part of $6 million. I am revealing this to you with believe in God that you will never let me down in this business, you are the first and the only person that I am contacting for this business, so please reply urgently so that I will inform you the next step to take urgently. Send also your private telephone and fax number including the full details of the account to be used for the deposit.

I would want this funds to be invested in your country for a viable business and our sharing modus will be 7% will be mapped out for all expenses and miscellaneous that will be incurred in the course of this of this transaction, 3% will go to our contact person in the pay out center in Europe, where the funds will booked for payment, 30% of the investment will go to you and I will have 60%.

Kindly respond if you are interested in this proposal so that I can start the normalizing the documents in your favor with my influence and my position in the bank as I am due for retirement. I will destroy all documents of transaction immediately we receive this money leaving no trace to any place and to build confidence you can call me for heart to heart discussion through my private satellite phone which I secured for the security and safety of this business as you know that this business is confidential.

I look forward to your earliest reply .

Yours Sincerely
Thembalihle Hixonia Nyasulu


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