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

Fraud email example:

From: "miss pauline william" <beautypaulinewill@yahoo.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: lostpauline@yahoo.com
Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 13:47:28 +0100
Subject: I NEED YOUR HELP,PLEASE


Pauline Walliam,
Dakar Senegal, Refugee Camp,
West Africa.
Hello My Dear,
please write me , I am writting this letter with due respect and heartful of tears since we have not known or meet ourselves previously I am asking for your assistance after I have gone through a profile that speaks good of you. I want to find out if it's possible for you to deal with individual as to investment. My dear i will be so glad if you can allow me and lead me to the right channel towards your assistance to my situation now.I will make my proposal well known to you. I would like to use this opportunity to introduce myself to you. I am Miss Pauline William 22yer old girl from Liberia in west Africa,i am a daughter of late Dr Dion William My father Dr Dion was the personal advicer to the former head of state president Charles Taylor who is now in exile, before the rebels attacked our house one early morning killing my mother and my father It was only me that is alive now, and i managed to make my way to near by country where i am staying as a refugee now.
The main reason why I am contacting you now is to seek your assistance in the area of my future investment and also to help me to transfer the money that he deposited in finacier company over to your possession. the amount is (US10.3 Million dollars) he made this deposit some years back,the money was deposited as a family tresure which i am the nest of kin. Please i am asking you to stand on my behalf as my partner to claim the money out from the security company and transferd it into your possition . I have made up my mind to offer you 25%of the total money, while the remaining will go into a productive business for me, As I have mention earlier I will make the procedure to this transaction to be well know to you and i will give you the contact of the financier company so that you will contact them for more verification.please attach your direct and full contact address as you reply to me,as soon as you received this letter,i will be waiting to hear from you.
Regards.
Pauline Walliam,

Anti-fraud resources: