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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: Gloria Caldwell <gloria_cald4@yahoo.co.uk>
Reply-To: gloria_caldwell247@hotmail.com
Date: Fri, 2 May 2008 09:36:21 +0100 (BST)
Subject: Dear beloved friend


Dear beloved friend,

I know that this letter may be a very big surprise to you, I came
across your email contact from my personal search and I instructed the
doctor here in this hospital to help me email you and I believe that
you will be honest to fulfill my final wish before I will die.

I am Mrs. Gloria Caldwell from LONDON, I am 58 years old, I am deaf
and suffering from a long time cancer of the breast, which also
affected my brain. From all indication my condition is really
deteriorating, and my doctors have courageously advised me that I may
not live beyond the next two months, this is because the cancer stage
has reached a critical stage. I was brought up in a motherless babys
home, and was married to my late husband for twenty years without a
child. My husband and I are true Christians, but quite unfortunately,
he died in a fatal motor accident.

Since his death I decided not to re-marry, I sold all my inherited
belongings and deposited all the sum of $3.2million dollars with a
Security Company. Presently, this money is still in their custody, and
the management just wrote me as the Legitimate beneficiary to come
forward to receive the money after keeping it for so long or rather
issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my behalf
since I can not come over as a result of my illness, or they get it
confiscated. Presently, I'm with my laptop in a hospital where I have
been undergoing treatment. 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 that this money is invested in any
organization of your choice and distributed each year among the
charity organization, the poor and the motherless babys home where I
come from. I want your good humanitarian, to also use t his money to
fund churches, orphanages and widows around. I must let you know that
this was a very hard decision, but I had to take a bold step towards
this issue because I have no further option. I hope you will help see
my last wishes come true.

As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the
Security Company. I will also issue you a letter of authority, which
will prove that you are the new beneficiary of my funds. Please assure
me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein.
Hope to hear from you soonest.

Awaiting your reply

Yours in Christ,
Mrs. Gloria Caldwell


---------------------------------
Sent from Yahoo! Mail.
A Smarter Email.

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