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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: "Don Golo" <donbk@gala.net>
Reply-To: donagolocb@hotmail.com
Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2008 12:50:26 +0100
Subject: In trust always Favour


In trust always Favour

I am Mr. Donatius Golo; I work in the National Bank Cotonou Republic of
Benin West Africa, packaging and courier department. I got your contact in
my search for an honest person through our National bank profile search. I
want you to clear this package that is already intact which will be shipped
in through our National bank accredited courier agent but the contents of
the package is ($22m USD) but the courier company does not know that it is
money that I have in the package.

All I want you to do for me now is to forward to me this below information.
your full names, residential/office address, private phone/fax number,
nationality, occupation, marital status & age, be rest assure that at the
end of the day, you will have 30% and 70% will be for me. If this
arrangement is okay by you, then I will discussed other modalities as soon
as you get back to me immediately you receive this mail and feel free that
you will assist me in this matter, so that we can discuss on how to get the
consignment of money delivered to your address and your sincerity towards
this matter.

For urgent and fast implementations of matters please reply me via:
donagolocb@hotmail.com

Yours faithfully,

Mr. Donatius Golo

Anti-fraud resources: