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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: "=?big5?q?Rev.=20Fr.=20Solomon=20Dyke=20\(C.SsR\)?="
<solomondyke.20082009@yahoo.com.hk>
Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:08:19 +0800 (HKT)
Subject: NOTIFICATION OF BEQUEST....


§Ú¦³·sªº¹q¶l¦a§}¡I§A²{¥i¹q¶lµ¹§Ú¡Gsolomondyke.20082009@yahoo.com.hk



- Dearly Beloved,Greetings & blessings from Hampshire!I write to you by email,due to the return of my earlier letter to you by post.On behalf of the Trustees and Executor of the estate of late Sir John Marks Templeton,I wish to notify you by this mail that late Sir Templeton,made you a beneficiary to his(will).Sir John Marks Templeton,left the sum of Eight Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars (US$850,000.00) to you as Bequest.The Late Sir John Marks Templeton,an investor and mutual fund pioneer who dedicated much of his fortune to promoting religion and reconciling it with Science,Sir Templeton died Tuesday July 8,2008 from pneumonia at Doctors Hospital in Nassau,Bahamas.He was 95.The late Sir John Marks Templeton until his death was a great Philanthropist and humanitarian,Sir Templeton created the $1.4 million Templeton Prize- billed as the world's richest annual prize- to honor advancement in knowledge of spiritual matters.Winners have included Mother Teresa,Billy Graham and Soviet dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.Sir Templeton wanted the monetary value to surpass that of the Nobel Prize to show that advances in spiritual fields were just as important, Sir Templeton was influenced by the Unity School of Christianity, which takes a non-literal view of heaven and hell,and he often started his mutual fund's annual meetings with a prayer.The philanthropist also was a dedicated Christian and a board member of the Princeton Theological Seminary.In 1987,he established the John Templeton Foundation to fund projects that could reconcile religion and science.The Pennsylvania-based nonprofit has an estimated endowment of $1.5 billion and awards some $70 million in annual grants.According to him this is to support your humanitarian/religious activities.Please If I reach you as I am hopeful,endeavor to get back to me as soon as possible to enable the lawyer executing the (will) to conclude his job.You should forward along your telephone and fax numbers,including your current mailing address.I hope to hear from you in no distant time.Wishing you the divine blessings of the Risen Lord and the constant protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary,Yours in His Service,Rev.Fr.Solomon Dyke, St.Joseph's Church,134 West Street,Havant,Hants PO9 1LP,UK


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