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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: "Sandra G. Williams" <sangwilliams11@live.fr>
Reply-To: <miss_sw01@yahoo.fr>
Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2007 17:26:38 +0000
Subject: From: Miss Sandra



From: Miss Sandra I sent this mail to you yesterday but you did not respond and I am sending it again to you because I really have faith that if you bring out your mind sincerely, You will be able to assist me. Thus;I am writing you this letter with due respect and heart full of tears and I need your help. I'm Miss. Sandra Williams the only Daughter of late Mr and Mrs Martin Williams. My father was a very Rich and wealthy Gold Trader in Monrovia the Capital of Liberia in West Africa. His business associates poisoned him while my mother died when I was a little girl of 19 years. He deposited ($11 MILLION U.S DOLLARS) in a bank here in Cote D'Ivoire. He made this money from the sales of Gold, He also told me that it was because of this money that he was poisoned while on a business trip with business associates and WHILE HE WAS ABOUT GIVING UP THE GHOST he instructed me to look for a foreign partner who will help me transfer this money out of republic of Cote D’Ivoire and invest it for me, Please help me to transfer this money to your country before this people who killed my father will kill me, they are after my life and they want to kill me and collect this money from me, that is why I'm now hiding my self here in republic of Cote D’Ivoire. Please I need your urgent help. I have been to the bank for withrawal but they told me that I am still under aged to make any withdrawals however they explained that the condition which my father deposited this fund is that it is only possible to withdraw money out from this fund only after having this fund transfered outside africa therefore I am surposed to provide a foreigner that have a functioning foreign account. This is why I have contacted you; It will cost some money to make this transfer which I do not have and again I am here in this country as a refugee and as a matter of fact does not have any money to feed my self to talk of giving the bank the little money they request to transfer this fund out of this country, We are in the United Nations refugee camp and the experience here is like hell that is why I am looking for someone that will come and help me clear this fund from the bank by identifying himself as my guidean and the beneficiary of my fathers deposited fund and I will write a letter of attestation to that effect.I will love part of this money to be invested in kingdom work like CHARITY FOUNDATION where the needy and the helpless will be receiving aid and help. I have arrived to this decision after passing through what I'm passed through in the Cote D'Ivoire United Nations safe keeping Camp. I hope you will not betray the trust I have on you because this money is my only hope in this life, and moreover you will also help me to come over to your country where I will settle down and continue my education while you invest the money as I have directed in all manner of truthfulness. If you are sincere with the fear of God in you and wants to help me out of my problem, please while you are replying this email, send as follows:1. Telephone number2. Nationality3. Age4. Type of bussiness5. SexYours faithfullyMiss. Sandra Williams.
_________________________________________________________________
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