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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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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.

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "you will be entitled to 30%" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
  • "high court" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
• This email message is a "dying widow" scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "Mrs Judith Williams" <mrsjudithwilliamsjw7@student.com>
Reply-To: mrsjudithwilliamsjw@gmail.com
Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:24:08 +0200
Subject: READ AND GOD BLESS YOU


Dear Friend,

I am Mrs. Judith Williams, from Trinidad and Tobago . I was married to
Dr.Michael Williams, who worked with Chevron Texaco in Nigeria for twenty
years before he died in the year 2005, May be you must have heard about him
in the oil firm.We were married for thirty-seven years without a child. He
died during one of the riots in the Niger delta region of Nigeria. He was
held hostage and slain to death by protesting youths of the region.

Before his death we were both born again Christians. Since his death I
decided not to re-marry. When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum
of $2.5M (Two million, Five Hundred Thousand U.S.Dollars) with a Bank.
Presently,this money is still with the Bank and the management just wrote me
as the beneficiary to come forward to receive the money or rather issue a
letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my behalf if I can not
come over.

Presently, I m with my laptop in a hospital where I have been undergoing
treatment for cancer of the LUNGS. I have since lost my ability to talk much
because of the effect of the chemotheraphy I have been subjected to 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, the proceed at the end of every
year distributed among charity organization.

I want a person that is God/Allah fearing that will use this money to fund
churches/mosques, orphanages and widows propagating the word of God and to
ensure that the house of God/Allah is maintained. The Bible/Korran made us
to understand that blessed is the hand that giveth. I took this decision
because I know that there are a lot of poor people suffering from different
kind of disease and nobody to come to their aid.

With God/Allah all things are possible. As soon as I receive your reply I
shall give you the contact of the bank. I will also issue you a letter of
authority from High Court that will prove you as the new beneficiary of this
fund. You are to help me invest this funds into real estate and stocks. You
will be entitled to 30% of every profit you make in a year.

Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein.

Waiting for your reply.

Yours Faithfully

Mrs. Judith Williams

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam