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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: Mr saadedine <s_hariri@myway.com>
Reply-To: saadedinee@hotmail.com
Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2006 16:04:42 +0000
Subject: Please Acknowledge


ATTN: Dear,

You may be surprise to receive my letter, however, I got your contact from my
Private search and i decided to contact you for confidential business.
Since the death of my father. The message could be strange but real, if you pay
Some attention to it. I could have notified you about it at least for the sake of your
integrity.

I am Mr Saadeddine Hariri, Son of the late Prime Minister of Lebanon,
Mr Rafiq Hariri, who was assassinated on 14 February 2005, along with
20 others, near the St. George Hotel in Beirut.

http://www.cedarland.org/haririass.html

In the wake of his assassination on 14 February 2005, the United
Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan dispatched a fact-finding mission
to investigate the killing. Arriving in Beirut on 25 February, the
mission interviewed Lebanese officials and politicians, from both the
government and opposition, studied the Lebanese investigation and legal
proceedings, examined the crime scene and collected evidence. It also
interviewed some Witnesses.

The report emphasizes that it is impossible to identify the culprit
until the perpetrators have been brought to justice, but blames the
Syrian government, which it charges with exerting influence that goes
beyond the reasonable exercise of cooperative or neighbourly relations,
with primary responsibility for the political tension that preceded the
assassination, by its (interference) with the details of governance in
Lebanon in a heavy-handed and inflexible manner.

Since the perpetrators of these evil act has not been brought to justice,
l have the feelings that my family and I are not also save here in Beirut.
We intend leaving for Europe.

During my father’s regime as the Prime Minister of Lebanon, He
realized some reasonable amount of money from various deals that he
successfully executed. US$76,000,000.00 (Seventy Six Million United
State Dollars). The money was deposited by my father in my name, Mr.
Saadeddine Hariri, in a Finance firm in Europe. I have plans to invest
this money in your country,

I am contacting you because my family and I are looking for a trusted
and reliable person that will represent me in Europe to claim the money
On our behalf. I have sent a notification letter to the financier institution,
that the family foreign business partner will collect the consignment.
I want to ensure you that this fund is 100% risk free, as no other person
knows about it apart from my mother and I.

Immediately you get back to me, I will give you the necessary information.
You required proceeding with the transaction and your reward towards the
assistance.

Best Regards,
Mr Saadeddine Hariri (FOR THE FAMILY).
Always get back to me through this e-mail: s_hariri@myway.com

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