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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:

Fraud email example:

From: Miss Esther Brown <estherbrown00@gmail.com>
Reply-To: estherbrown111@yahoo.com
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:05:41 +0200
Subject: From Miss Esther Brown

With Due respect

I am Mrs Esther Brown from UNITED STATE,I am 69 years old,i am deaf
and suffering from a long time cancer of the breast which also
affected 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 was married to my late
husband for twenty years without a child ,died in a fatal motor
accident Before his
death we were true Christians.Since his death I decided not to
re-marry,I sold all my inherited belongings and deposited all the sum
of $3.2 million dollars
with a Security Finance Company.

Presently, this money is still with them and the management just wrote
me as the true owner to come forward to receive the money for keeping
it so long or
rather issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my
behalf since I can not come over because of my illness or they get it
confisticated.

Presently, I'm with my laptop in a hospital where I have been
undergoing treatment for cancer of the lungs. I have since lost my
ability to talk and my
doctors have told me that I have only a few months to live. It is my
last wish to see that this money is invested to any organization of
your choice and
distributed each year among the charity organization, the poor and the
motherless baby's home where I come from. I want a God fearing, to
also use
this money to fund churches, orphanages! And widows, 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 the contact of the
Security Company. I will also issue you a letter of authority that
will prove you as the new beneficiary of
my fund. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated
herein. Hoping to hearing from you soon.

Waiting for your reply , get back to me.

Yours in ChristK
Mrs Esther brown


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