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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: Vanisa Fernandez <f.vanisa@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 8 Oct 2007 03:18:34 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: PLEASE HELP TO SAVE MY SOUL


Dear Sir,

I am Vanisa Fernandez, a 16 year old girl and the only daughter of my parents. my father is Nii Opong Gilbson Fernandez of Ashanti region in Kumasi Ghana. my mother died 12 years ago when I was 5 years old.

My father was a businessman he runs hotels business. but before he died last year in april 2006 he have already sold all his properties with his business and deposit the money with security company in my name, because of what he might have known about the intentions of his family relatives that they would oppress me as the only child and acquire the whole wealth for themselves after his death. and actually his vision had come to reality immediately in one year after his death. now the relatives had come to demand for all the wealth and as they find out that he had already sold all his properties to a different owners before hands then they're now trying to use force on me to reveal where my father has kept his money before he died, which I refused to do so they are using every means to threaten me and even ready to kill my enemy, but now my fathers lawyer I have come to rescue me from them and he has taken me along with him to Accra-Ghana where I now live in a hide
out for my safety.

This is the reason why I need your help as a reliable God fearing person who will be my beneficiary to receive and invest my inherited fund in your country, which I just hope you will be able to do it for me so I can move out of Africa and settle down to live my life and when I will be able to study and get married in due course.

Please I shall be very grateful if you can work with me to save mylife out of this situation.

I am anxiously waiting to hear your reply soonest.
Yours sincerely,
Vanisa Fernandez.


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