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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: Dam Vincent <damnn9@msn.com>
Reply-To: <nndam10@msn.com>
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:46:17 +0000
Subject: Can I trust you?



Letter from Vincent Dam,In Cotonou the Capital of Benin. Dear, Sir/madam, Transfer of my inheritance funds ($4.6 M. USD) to your country.I do not know you in person; I got your contact via personal research on a responsible and honest person that I can trust with all my life, I hope you will forgive me for that. My name is Vincent Dam the only son of my family; I lost my father on a car accident first week of last month, and after my father burial three weeks ago, my father attorney called all my later fathers family member to read my father will in the present of everybody in the family, and in that will my father left ($4.6 M. USD) in my name as next of kin since am the only son and then left his small company to his family members to manage it until I finish my education, then I can take control of everything. Three days after, my father attorney called me and hand over a letter to me writing and sign by my later father, in that letter my father explain to me what killed my mother when I was 4 years old, that his brothers poising her because she is from Muslim family and ever since my father get married to my mother, his family develop hatred to her because they are against Muslim in there religion, my father also advice me in that letter that I should be very careful with his brothers whenever his no more because his either brother love money so much that he can do anything to get it any time, also his jalousie of him since is the only man in the family that has little wealth, meanwhile for the past one week now they are after me because they want to use me and get the money in the bank release to them, so when I discover that I rune out of the house leaving now with my school friend, as I write this mail they are busy searching for me. For this reason I personally decided to contact you with the support of my latter father attorney so that this fund will be transferred into your account in abroad where you can help me to invest it as well to enable me continue my education life. Please sir/ madam if you can help me let me know so that I will tell my father attorney to arrange the necessary legal documents for the fund to be transfer to you then I will come over to meet with you in your country to continue me education. May the good lord bless you as you accept me in your family?Vincent Dam.

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