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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: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: <mrsgraceharlow02@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2008 19:57:06 +0000
Subject: GET BACK TO ME



Dear Friend.
Greetings in the name of God / Allah, Please let this not sound strange to you, for my family lawyer who would have handled this executor ship of my will on my behalf, died early this year after a protracted illness. I prayed and got your email ID from your country's guest book. I am Mrs. Grace Harlow from Oman, 58 years old. I am suffering from a protracted cancer of the lungs, which has also affected my brain cells as a result of complications. From all indication my condition is really deteriorating and it is quite obvious that, according to my doctor I have been advised that I may not live for the next two months, this is because the cancer stage has gotten to a critical and life threatening stage. I was brought up in an orphanage home as a child of circumstance, having been abandoned at birth by my teenage biological mother and taken to an orphanage home by a Good Samaritan. I was married to my late husband Mr. Gamal Harlow for twenty years without a child. My husband was hypertensive and died of cardiac arrest.
Since my husbands death I decided not to re-marry, when my ailment became terrible, I sold off all our choice properties and personal belongings including a shopping mall, an hotel, shares, bonds, jewelries and other valuable family treasures and deposited the proceeds amounting to USD$10.2million dollars with First Inland Bank Plc. Presently, this money is still lodged with the Bank, and the management and board of directors of the bank just wrote me as the sole owner to come forward to receive the money after having kept it for so long a time in their coffers, or that I can issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my behalf since I can not come over and claim the funds due largely to my illness or they get it confiscated. Presently, I'm writing you with my laptop in a hospital in Switzerland, located at fulham road in west Switzerland. It is the leading cancer treatment hospital in the world. I have been undergoing treatment for cancer of the lungs. My doctors like i said earlier told me that I have only two months to live. It is my last wish therefore to see that 70% of this money which amounts to usd$7,140,000.00 (seven million one hundred and forty thousand dollars only) is invested to any organization of your choice and distributed each year among charitable Organizations, the poor and the motherless babies homes. You can also extend to churches and mosques, if you wish. 30% of the money which amounts to usd$3,060,000.00(three million sixty thousand dollars only) is for your personal use. I want you as a God fearing person, to take it upon yourself and use this money for the aforementioned purposes, i took this decision in other to help humanity in my little capacity, before I rest in peace in the bosom of the almighty, because according to my physicians my time will soon be up. As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the official contact of the First Inland Bank plc officials, to enable you reach them without delays. I will also issue you a letter of authorization that will prove you as the new beneficiary of my will. The funds have an open beneficiary mandate, and as such it is whom I authorize to act on my behalf that the bank will recognize and release the funds to. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein. Please reply me through these my private email Address:mrs.grace01@yahoo.com

Hoping to hear from you soon. Yours Sincerely,
Mrs. Grace Harlow

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