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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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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.

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:

• This email message is a "dying widow" scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "Mrs. SHELLEY JOHN" <shelley_joh@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: mrs.shelleyjohn@atlas.cz
Date: Sun, 04 Jun 2006 17:51:06 +0200
Subject: FROM MRS. SHELLEY MERVIN JOHN


Greetings in the name of the Lord,

I am Mrs. Shelley Mervin John, nationality of Vienna, Austria. I married to Dr. Mervin JOHN of united state who worked with Chevron Texaco as oil consultant/contractor for twenty years before he died in the year 2000.We were married for twenty-seven years without a child. He died during one of the riot in the delta region .He was held hostage and slain to death by protesting youths of the region.

Before his death we were both born again Christians. Since his death I decided not to re-marry. When my late husband was alive he made a numbered time (Fixed) deposited for twelve calendar months, valued at $8m.usd (eight Million U.S.Dollars) with security code number ES3054EN394XX95. in Europe. Meanwhile, this money is still with them and the management just wrote me as the beneficiary to come forward to receive the money or rather issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my behalf.

I am not against any Religion, Christian or Muslim; but all I need someone who have heart of helping the underprivileged, who can use these funds to fund the orphanages. Presently I am with my laptop in a hospital where I have been undergoing treatment for cancer of the lungs. I have since lost my ability to talk and my doctors have told me that I have only a few months to live. It is my last wish to see this money is invested and proceed at the end of every year distributing items among charity organization. I want a person who has the fearing God that will use this money to fund churches, orphanages and widows. I took this decision because I know that there are a lot of poor people suffering from different kind of disease and nobody to come to their aid.

With God all things are possible to enable, As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the Security Company and I will also issue you a letter of authority that will prove you as my appointed beneficiary of the said fund; please I will require your full name/address to enable me issue a letter of authorization in your name and you will be entitled to 40%. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated here in and I need your maximum corporation to enable me fulfill my last wish.

Hoping to hearing from you soon.

Yours in Christ,

Mrs. Shelley Mervin John.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam