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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: Mirabel Milan <mirabel_milan02@yahoo.gr>
Reply-To: mirabel_milan05@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2007 09:54:18 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: I NEED YOUR ASSISTANCE


From: Mirabel Milan
Abidjan Cote d'ivoire=20
West Africa .

Introduction.
=20
My Dear,
=20
Please do reply me through my private mail box above and also send me y=
our direct E-mail to reach you .
=20
It is my pleasure to contact you for a business venture which I intend =
to establish in your country. Though I have not met with you before but I=
believe, one has to risk confiding in succeed sometimes in life. There i=
s this huge amount of eight million U.S dollars($8,000,000.00) which my l=
ate Father kept for me with a Fiduciary Fund Holder in Abidjan before he =
was assasinated by the Rebels persons during this war in Cote d'ivoire.
=20
Now I have decided to invest these money in your country or anywhere sa=
fe enough outside Africa for security and political reasons. I want you t=
o help me claim and retrieve this fund from the Fiduciary Fund Holders an=
d transfer it into your personal account in your country for investment p=
urposes on these areas:
=20
1) Telecommunication=20
2) The Transport Industry=20
3) Five Star Hotel=20
4) Real Estate Management
=20
If you can be of an assistance to me I will be pleased to offer to you =
15% of the total fund for your assistance to me.
=20
I await your soonest response.
Respectfully yours,=20
Mirabel Milan.=20

=09
---------------------------------
=D7=F1=E7=F3=E9=EC=EF=F0=EF=E9=E5=DF=F4=E5 Yahoo!
=C2=E1=F1=E5=E8=DE=EA=E1=F4=E5 =F4=E1 =E5=ED=EF=F7=EB=E7=F4=E9=EA=DC =EC=
=E7=ED=FD =EC=E1=F4=E1 (spam); =D4=EF Yahoo! Mail =E4=E9=E1=E8=DD=F4=E5=E9=
=F4=E7=ED =EA=E1=EB=FD=F4=E5=F1=E7 =E4=F5=ED=E1=F4=DE =F0=F1=EF=F3=F4=E1=
=F3=DF=E1 =EA=E1=F4=DC =F4=F9=ED =E5=ED=EF=F7=EB=E7=F4=E9=EA=FE=ED =EC=E7=
=ED=F5=EC=DC=F4=F9=ED=20
http://login.yahoo.com/config/mail?.intl=3Dgr=20

Anti-fraud resources: