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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

 

 

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "Melissa Pointer" <projectfortheneedy_13@msn.com>
Reply-To: melissa_pointer3012@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Sat, 08 Oct 2005 05:17:01 +0000
Subject: [SPAM?] BELOVED IN CHRIST (ASSISTANCE)

Dearly Beloved

It is by the grace of God that I received
Christ,having known the truth,I had no choice than to do what is
lawful and right in the sight of God for eternal life and in the sight
of man for witness of God & his mercies and glory upon my life.
I am Mrs.Melissa Pointer the wife of Mr Harry
Pointer,my husband worked with theChevron/Texaco
in Kenya for twenty years before he died in the year2001.We were
married for ten years without a child.My Husband died after a brief
illness that lasted for only four
days.
Before his death we were both born again Christians.
Since his death I decided not to re-marry or get a child outside my
matrimonial home which the Bible is against.When my late husband was
alive he deposited the sum of US$3.5M.(Three Million Five
Hundred Thousand U.S.Dollars) with a Bank in Europe.Presently,this
money is still with the Bank and the management
just wrote me as the beneficiary to come forward to sign forthe release
of this money or rather issue a letter of authorization to somebody to
receive it on my behalf if I can not come over.
Presently,I'm in a hospital in Kenya where I have been
undergoingtreatment for esophageal cancer.I have since lost my ability
to talk and my doctors have told me that I have only a few weeks to
live.It is my last wish to see this money distributed to charity
organizations anywhere in the World.Because relatives and friends
have plundered somuch of my wealth since my
illness,I cannot live with the agony of entrusting this huge
responsibility to any of them. Please,I beg you in the name of God to
help me Stand and collect the Funds from the Bank.
I want a person that is God fearing that will use this money to fund
churches,orphanages and widows propagating the word of God and to
ensurethat the house of God is maintained.
The Bible made us to understand that blessed is the hand that giveth.I
took this decision because I don't have any child that will inherit
this money and my husbandrelatives are not Christians and I don't want
my husband's hard earned money to be misused by unbelievers.I don't
want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly
manner.Hence the reason for taking thisbold decision.I am not afraid of
death hence I know where I am going.I know that I am going to be in the
bosom of the Lord.
Exodus{14 VS14}says that the lord will fight my case and I shall
hold my peace.I don't need any telephone communication in this regard
because of my soundless voice
and presence of my husband's relatives around me always.I don't want
them to know about this
development. With God all things are possible.
As soon as I receive your reply I shall give youthe contact of my
attorney who is in Europe as he will be the one to assist you in laying
claims for this funds.

Your Sister in Christ,

Mrs.Melissa Pointer.


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