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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: Anita Mike <aqw13_ijh@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <anita_smith_2006@fastermail.com>
Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2007 16:13:48 +0100
Subject: CRY FOR HELP!!!



CRY FOR HELP!!!ATTENTION: SIR/MADAM
STRICTLLY A PRIVATE BUSINESS PROPOSAL
I AM MRS ANITA JOY SMITH, A WIDOW, AND AN EX-WIFE TO LATE MR. MIKE DAVID SMITH, WHO DIED IN A PLANE CRASH, ON NOVEMBER 1997. BEFORE HIS DEATH, WE HAD A FAMILY PROBLEM THAT ENDED UP IN DIVORCE, AND BEFORE OUR DIVORCE, I ALREADY HAD TWO CHILDREN FOR HIM, AND STILL HE LEFT ME WITH THE CHILDREN, AND HE NEVER BORDERED TO KNOW HOW WE FEED, OR HOW WE ARE LIVING. SO HE GOT MARRIED TO ANOTHER WOMAN, WHO HAD THREE KIDS FOR HIM. HE WAS THE DIRECTOR OF A STEEL COMPANY, NAMED MDSMITH STEEL COMPANY. ON NOVEMBER 1997, HE HAD A PLANE CRASH WITH HIS SECOND WIFE AND THREE CHILDREN.
I AM WRITING THIS LETTER TO ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND COOPERATION TO CARRY OUT THIS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY. MY LATE HUSBAND DEPOSITED SUM OF $15,000.000.00 (FIFTEEN MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS ONLY) IN HIS ACCOUNT WITH UNION BANK OF NIGERIA. SINCE HE DIED, I NEVER KNEW ABOUT THIS HIS FUND THAT HE DEPOSITED WITH THE UNION BANK OF NIGERIA, UNTIL HIS PERSONAL ATTORNEY CONTACTED ME AND TOLD ME ABOUT THIS DISCOVERY, I WAS SO SHOCKED, AND AT THE SAME TIME I THANK GOD BECAUSE SINCE MY HUSBAND DIED I NEVER RECEIVED ANY HELP FROM ANYBODY, NONE OF HIS CLOSED AND GOOD FRIENDS SHOWED CONCERN TO KNOW HOW I THE POOR WIDOW AND MY CHILDREN ARE FEEDING, WE WHERE ABANDONED, NO HOUSE, NO WORK, MY CHILDREN ARE NO MORE SCHOOLING BECAUSE OF THE FINANCIAL CRISIS WE HAVE HERE IN MY COUNTRY. OUR LEADERS ARE SO WICKED AND HEARTLESS, THEY DO NOT CARE FOR THE WIDOWS. I AM SO MUCH IN PAIN AND AGONY, I HAVE PRAYED AND CRIED TO GOD EVERYDAY TO HEAR MY HUMBLE CRY OF A WIDOW, BUT ATLAST HE ANSWERED.
NOW THE ATTORNEY MADE ME UNDERSTOOD THAT THE BANK IS LOOKING FOR THE NEXT-OF-KIN TO PUT CLAIMS FOR HIS MONEY AS THE HEIR, BECAUSE THEY CANNOT RELEASE THE FUND FROM HIS ACCOUNT UNLESS SOMEONE WHO IS THE NEXT OF KIN APPLIES FOR CLAIM AS THE NEXT-OF-KIN TO THE MY LATE HUSBAND AS INDICATED IN THE BANKING GUIDELINES.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE LAWYER KNOWS THAT I AM NOT CAPABLE OF HANDLING THIS FUND, KNOWING MY CONDITION AND POSITION, I AM A POOR WIDOW, AND THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ME AND MY CHILDREN TO ESCAPE FROM POVERTY AND MOVE AWAY FROM THIS WICKED COUNTRY, AND START A NEW LIFE OVER THERE IN ABROAD, AND MY CHILDREN WILL CONTINUE THERE EDUCATION. WHAT WE ARE LOOKING IS A FOREIGNER WHO WILL HELP US RECEIVE THIS FUND INTO HIS BANK ACCOUNT, SOMEONE THAT IS CAPABLE AND TRUST WORTHY, WHO WILL NOT RUN AWAY WITH THIS MONEY IMMEDIATELY THE MONEY GETS INTO THE ACCOUNT AND ABANDON ME AND MY CHILDREN. ME AND MY CHILDREN HAVE AGREED TO MAKE BUSINESS WITH YOU AND THE BANK WILL RELEASE THE TOTAL AMOUNT INTO YOUR ACCOUNT ON MY BEHALF OF THE FUND .
WE NEED TO ACT FAST, OTHERWISE THE FUND WILL BE RETURNED TO THE BANKS TREASURY AS UNCLAIMED FUND.WE HAVE AGREED THAT OUR RATIO OF SHARING WILL BE AS STATED THUS: 35% FOR YOU AS FOREIGN PARTNER,55% FOR ME AND MY CHILDREN AND 10% FOR THE SETTLEMENT OF ALL LOCAL AND FOREIGN EXPENSES INCURRED BY YOU DURING THE COURSE OF THIS BUSINESS.
UPON THE SUCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS TRANSFER, I AND MY TWO CHILDRENWILL COME TO YOUR COUNTRY FOR OUR SHARE, AND WE WILL START A NEW LIFE ENTIRELY OVER THERE, AND I WILL INVEST PART OF OUR SHARE THROUGH YOU IN YOUR COUNTRY, SO THAT WE CAN HAVE SOMETHING WE CAN COUNT ON FOR SURVIVAL WHILE IN YOUR COUNTRY.
TO COMMENCE THIS TRANSACTION, WE REQUIRE YOU TO IMMEDIATELY INDICATE YOUR INTEREST BY A RETURN E- MAIL AND ENCLOSE YOUR PRIVATE CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER, FAX NUMBER FULL NAME AND ADDRESS AND YOUR DESIGNATED BANK COORDINATES TO ENABLE THE ATTORNEY TO FILE LETTER OF CLAIM TO THE APPROPRIATE DEPARTMENTS FOR NECESSARY APPROVALS BEFORE THE TRANSFER CAN BE MADE. IMMEDIATELY YOU FORWARD TO ME ALL THE NECESSARY INFORMATIONS, I WILL FORWARD THEM TO THE ATTORNEY, THEN THE ATTORNEY WILL START UP THE CLAIMING OF THIS FUND. DEFINITELY, YOU WILL BE DEALING DIRECTLY WITH THE ATTORNEY TOO, BECAUSE HE IS IN POSITION TO MAKE THIS TRANSACTION SUCCESSFUL.
NOTE ALSO, THIS TRANSACTION MUST BE KEPT STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL BECAUSE OF ITS NATURE.I LOOK FORWARD TO RECEIVING YOUR PROMPT RESPONSE.REMAIN BLESSED.MRS ANITA JOY SMITH PLESAE THIS IS THE NEW E-MAIL BOX(anita_joy_smith2006@yahoo.co.jp)N/BPLEASE IT TAKES ME TIME TO CONTACT YOU DUE TO THE NUMBER OF SCAM MAIL THAT I DO RECEIVED ALL OVER THE GLOBAL. TRUTH AND TRUST ARE MY WATCHWORDS.
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