419 scam: "Stella Dube"<stelladube1@live.co.za> Please Help Me.

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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

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

This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "robert mugabe" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "Stella Dube" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <stelladube@live.co.za>
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:22:53 +0200
Subject: Please Help Me.

Hi,

Please do not think this is one of those scam or junk mails you receive in your mailbox/fax machine, which I have receive also, but I plead for your tolerance.

I got your contact address from South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Johannesburg. My name is Mrs. Stella Dube the wife of late Mr. Sipho Dube of Zimbabwe. Let me quickly bring to your knowledge why I need your assistance.
l inherited the sum of US$15Million from my late husband which he deposited in a private security company here in south Africa before he died, he was a very rich tobacco farmer, he was killed by our president ROBERT MUGABE's government, lf you listen to international news CNN or BBC you will know what is happening in my country Zimbabwe, please go into this website you understand me http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/918781.stm or http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/715001.stm

My Son, Jonas and I are living as refugees here and we cannot transfer this money ourselves. Please contact us on this private email address: stelladube@)live.co.za, for more details.

l am willing to give you some commission, l will tell you more when l hear from you. l also have a good friend of my late husband who is a financial adviser here (a former bank manager) who promise to help me transfer this money through the bank when l get somebody l trust, he was the person that advised me to get an international partner to assist me, because l cannot do any banking transaction here in South Africa since l am a refugee.

l will tell you more about this transaction when l get your reply, please l want you to be honest with me, if you are not honest l will not carry out this transaction with you.
l am waiting for your response

Regards,

Mrs. Stella Dube

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam