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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: "WALKER O.DONALD" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <smithmtsmt@yahoo.de>
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2009 05:08:23 -0700
Subject: [Spam] USE FOR PHILANTHROPIC TRUST

Beloved

Dear Good Friend,
Greetings in the Name of God, Please pardon me if this Letter might sounds strange to you As my only surviving Legal Adviser who would have done this died early this Year. I prayed and got your Email id. from your country's guest book.

My Name is Mrs. Donald Oxlen. Walker from Demark, I’m 53 years old dying Woman suffering from a Long time Cancer of the Breast which has affected my Lung and Liver and also about to affect My Brain. From all indication, My conditions is really deteriorating and it is quite obvious that according to My Doctors, they have advised me that i may not live for the Next two Months, This is because the Cancer Stage has gotten to a very Bad stage. I was brought up from a Motherless Babies home and Married to My Late Husband for Twenty One Years without a Child, My Husband (Late Dr. J O. Walker) was a Former Medical Director with International Red Cross Organization, but was Killed last Year in suicide bombing attack at Ziggurat the Ancient city of Northern part of Iraq while he was discharging his official duty in rescuing and giving first aids treatment to some wounded U.S.A Soldiers.

My happiness today is that before his Death, We were true believers. Since then, i decided not to remarry or get a Child outside my matrimonial home. So Why i Contacted you now is to let you know that before i became ill, I have A closing Balance of US$6,370,216.00 (Six Million, Three Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Two Hundred and Sixteen US Dollars) Only with Woolwich Bank London an intermediary Mortgages of Barclays Bank Plc. i made the last withdrawal from the account in 2007 and due to long period it has stayed now, the Account became Dormant. The Bank Management just wrote to me and advised me to come forward to Reactivate the Account as it has became dormant or rather issue a Letter of authorization to somebody to come forward on my behalf to carry out the Reactivation and receives the fund if wishes or risk the remaining balance impound as stipulated in the bank regulation.

Since my illness cannot allows me to present myself and based on the bank regulatory guiding principle which i knew, My Account will be confiscated and automatically go into the coffers of the bank outfit with their Government Treasury if I die on this my present condition without WILLING the fund to someone I wish and i don’t want this to happen. Since I have lost my ability to talk clearly and the Doctors has told me that i have only a few Months to live. It is my last wish to see that my Account is been Reactivated and all the fund inside the account is Receives by You for benevolence Works of God by Distributing Among Charity Organizations, Victims of Natural Disasters, vis-à-vis Philanthropic Mission to Help the Poor, Handi-Capped, the Homeless, the Widows, and Especially the Orphanages/Motherless Babies home where i was Raised and You keep little Part of the fund to yourself, I took this decision, before i rest in peace because my time will soon be up.

As soon as i receive your reply, I shall give you more detail on how to claim the fund on my behalf as my Next of kin/ representative as you will assure me that you will act accordingly as i stated herein. Please reach me now Only on my Private Email:rhkn_1@msn.com. To Chat with me on yahoo Messenger, Add me (walkeroxdonald@yahoo.de). I eagerly look forward to your anticipated response.
Mrs. Donald O. Walker
<rhkn_1@msn.com>

 

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