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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: "mohamed abacha" <mhbaba122@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: mhbabainfo@excite.com
Date: Wed, 02 Nov 2005 11:44:43 +0000
Subject: RE ASSISTANCE

Dear Sir:

I am sending you this confidential email to make a passionate appeal to you
for assistance. I got to know of you through my search,in the internet,for a
credible investor that will be of assistance to my family.

In the light of this, I am Mohammed Abacha, son of the late General Sanni
Abacha the former military head of state of Nigeria.I have been in detention
in the last four years following the death of my father for charges of
State organized murder and corrupt practices. I have just been released
by the Supreme Court after the president brokered a deal
with my family regarding my freedom.

Since the assumption of power by the present civilian
government in Nigeria, my entire family has known no
peace. The present government has set out to
humiliate and persecute my late father's family and
associate for both real and imagined sins of my late
father.

They have confiscated all the assets they
could lay hands on, frozen bank accounts both here and
abroard and generally emasculate the members of my
family.All these victimization and more have left me,
my siblings and most especially my widowed mother in a
very difficult situation in the battle for suvival.
In view of this experience and in order to avoid further decimation of the
family's futunes, my mother and I have decided to entrust a reasonable part
of the family's hidden funds under the care of a trustworthy foreigner for
safekeeping.

Her major problem is that while I was in detention my
mother's movements and access were restricted since she is virtually under
house arrest and constantly Monitored.

This explains my having to contact you through this medium.Let me
therefore,inform you in the utmost confidence that before the freezing of
certain key bank accounts in Nigeria, we were able through a technical
arrangment to withdraw monies totaling $35,000.000.00 (Thirty five million
USDollars only) which was immediately moved out of the country through the
help of some of my late father's close associates who are still serving in
the present government.

It is both my wish and my mother's that you assist us
in the safekeeping of these monies.I will be able to
discuss with you if the proper arrangements are made.
I have arranged and agreed with my mother that 30% of
the total sum will be for you for your kind asistance,
while 5% of the total sum have been earmarked for
expenses that might be incured both local and
international in the course of the whole of the
transaction, including calls made either by you or both.

But please note that this request is contingent on your undertaking that you
shall make the fund available to me on demand as a primary condition prior
to the commencement of this transaction.
Please keep me posted via email as I will be looking
forward to your favourable response.

Regards,
mohammed Abacha
REPLY TO mhbabainfo@excite.com


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