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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.

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

Fraud email example:

From: "Prince Mela Sobhuza" <princemelasobhuza@yahoo.com> (may be fake)
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:15:43 +0700
Subject: Hello

Dear Sir, Complement of the day. How is your work I hope everything is OK with you. Although my message might seems too impromptu and informal to you meanwhile I am obliged by my present circumstance to use this medium to contact you. Though, I have tried in vain to contact you on phone, I presume the Thailand network system is down. My name is Prince Mela Sobhuza Son of Late King Sobhuza II of the ruling royal family of Swaziland and a half brother to the present King Mswati III the Monarch and President of Swaziland. I was one of his closest security aides De camp from the royal family . I have since my birth enjoyed great peace and comfort until my relationship with my half brother King Mswati ran into Murky waters. This resulted from my strong and loud opposition to his desire to follow an age old custom which allows him to have for himself any young virgin in the Kingdom and also his extravagant expenditures and mismanagement of the country ailing economy and abuse of human right which has been the Obed of his government. He once bought a private jet for $44.6 million—more than twice the annual health budget for the entire nation. Swaziland has the highest HIV/AIDS rate in the world (more than 33%), and 10% of Swazi households are headed by children.The government refers to these households as “sibling families.” United nation and World Bank have tried so much in the aspect of FINANCIAL AID to my country but all this goes to the flamboyant life style of the monarch without the aid getting to the people it was meant for. According to the constitution, he has the right to overrule all laws and rules, and it is illegal to investigate any matter relating to the him.The tension however blew open when I vehemently objected to my brother King Mswati atrocities to the country and his plan to forcefully Marry a Seventeen year(17yr) old Virgin, ZENA MAHLANGU as his Tenth Wife(10Th) against public and world outcry. My brother saw this as an insult; being a maximum ruler whose actions/inaction's cannot be questioned. He saw this as a crime against the gods of our land and seeing himself as the Maximum ruler of the land, decreed that the god has requested that I should be sacrificed for disrespecting the throne as the maximum King who the gods of our land has crowned and as such disobeying him means no respect and fear for the gods of our land. So he sent the Palace guards and the police after me orders to bring me dead or alive for sacrifice to the gods. He is a voodoo worshiper. Please, I will like you to visit these site to have a clue of what I mean. (www.royalty.nu/Africa/Swaziland.htm ) and go to Swaziland news() and any other site you wish on the Internet about King Mswati 111 of Swaziland. Right now I am temporary in Thailand to organize myself and find away to help the people of my country. I have 12 Million US Dollars which were deposited in a Thailand bank by my late father the late king Subhuza ll for my own immediate family, which I want to invest in any business that is profit oriented and help some of my fellow Swazi Citizens who are also in exile. I am confident that with your great experience in the business field we will excel. My father the late king made adequate provisions for all the first sons of his wives according to African tradition, he deposited money in banks for all his first sons who in turn will use the money to care for their own immediate family. My part of the money was deposited in a bank inThailand. This is as resulted of the good relationship between my country and Thailand during his reign. However, due to the stress and acute financial shortage, and to the fact that I do not want the Thailand government to be aware of my presents here for security reasons as I am afraid they may inform my brother of my presents here in Thailand because of the millions of dollars contract on Tele-communication they are negotiating with my country Swaziland. I am therefore seeking for your permission to present you to the bank as my foreign partner and also help me to clear and claim it on my behalf into your account, as my father made it clear that the money can only be released to me when I present a foreign partner that will help me to invest the money in a business that is profit viable. My father as you may know is a good investor and want his children to join with foreign partners in business establishment home or abroad as we have not done business before. The money is my own immediate family share which was realized from Diamond and Gold royalties that were paid to selected members of the royal family by companies mining precious stones and metals in the Swaziland Kingdom over the years. I am only asking for your cooperation and assistance to collect the money and move to your country to invest. It is not easy for me to use my overseas friend as I do not know those of them working for my brother for a ransom Why I contacted you is because I am afraid to contact any friends as my brother the King may use them to trace me. You will be receive 30 percent of the total amount as your own reward, On receipt of your positive response I shall forward your information to the bank and my lawyer will contact you for other necessary documentation especially the agreement that will protects your reward of 30 percent share of the total amount and also my own part of the money that will be transferred into your account. Ten percent of the total money will for any expenses that might be incurred during the transaction. All the legal documents to back up the claim as my partner would be provided by me. This would be done under a legitimate arrangement that would protect you from any breach of the law. If this business proposition offends your moral and ethic values, please do accept my sincere apology. Please if you are unable to help me I would like you to use your good position to speak out to world in any way you can the degradation my people are undergoing in the hand of my brother the king, my country needs world attention. Please for the benefit of doubt I also urge you to make adequate inquiry about my person. I am looking forward to doing this business with you on basis of fairness equitably, trustfulness and truth I look forward to your earliest reply through my email address. Be aware that this transaction is highly confidential for my own security and the huge amount of money that is involved. My sincere greetings as I hope you will proffer the much needed assistance that will see this deal to a fruitful conclusion. Hope to meet you soon. Best Regards, Prince Mela Sobhuza. Kingdom of Swaziland Kingdom of Swaziland

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