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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)
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:06:54 +0200
Subject: I Believe God has asked me to contact you.


*Dear Sir/Madam,


I have come to you with open heart because I believe God has asked me
to contact you.We've not met before but I really don't know why I have been
asked to send this message to you.One wrong act in my life especially at
this point in time is capable of destroying my glorious destiny that is why
I did not harden my heart from writing you.

My Name is Johnson Moore,Adopted son of Mr and Mrs Pius Moore who was the
director of SONACOP PETROLEUM COMPANY while my Mum was a successful business
woman before their untimely death five months ago which is still a great
shock to me till now even though I am still mourning their death.I must be
proud to say that my parents where very rich before their death.

With the sudden death of my parents,I got to understand that death speaks
sometimes to it's victim before it finally struck.

Two days before my parents died,they called me and told me that if anything
should happen to them that I must not fight over their belongings with the
family members because they have already made proper provision for my future
knowing the kind of family my dad came from since they do not have any
child of their own and as adopted child they will not give me any
inheritance of theirs as that was the tradition.

I was made to know that they have already paid in the sum of $1.5M in my
name with one of the banks here in Cotonou Benin Republic and I can only
have right to the said sum once I am 28years of age and matured enough to
handle matters on my own and the money is in a fix deposit account.

My parents died two days after I was told about the money they deposited for
me. Now that they are dead,I am been asked to leave the house by the
relations of my Dad and I have no one to run to.

I have been staying with a friend of mine from School but things are not
easy for them either and I see myself as a burden to them.

Life can be so cruel for I never felt the pain of been an adopted child not
until the death of my parents.After much suffering,I now decided to visit
the Bank where my parents told me that they made the deposit for me to find
out if truly such amount do really exist for me because i have really gone
through a lot since the past five months now.

To my greatest surprise,the bank manager confirmed to me that the said
amount really exist.After narrating my stories to the bank manager and all
that I have passed through since the death of my parents,he really felt for
me.

I then asked him the chances that I have to touch my money and he says none
at the moment that the agreement was that I must reach the age of 28years
before I can be able to have full control of the money and I am only 24years
and cannot continue like this for the next four years.

He says that the only thing that he will do for me is this,if I can be able
to find someone that I can trust who will stand as my guardian now that my
parents are dead who the bank can release the said fund to that the fund
will be released to such a person not minding the nationality of the person.

Since I don't have anybody to run to and I can never go back to those wicked
people that drove me away from parents house for help if not they will
surely kill me for the money.

I now seek your godly consent to stand as my guardian as I will be
introducing you to the bank as my late fathers foreign associate and
guardian on the condition that you take me as your child and take care of my
education for the dream of my parents to come to pass that i have a better
future.

You can invest the money in any business of your choice.
If you find it in your heart to assist me,Please do acknowledge.
Email: **johnsonmoore001@live.fr* <johnsonmoore001@live.fr>*
God Bless.

Johnson Moore.*

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