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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: George Wiredu <online1163663@telkomsa.net>
Reply-To: George Wiredu <georgewd@live.com>
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 2010 15:32:09 +0200 (SAST)
Subject: Fund delivery



--
Dear Sir /Madan
My name is George Wiredu, the first son of the late Minister of Finance and economic Planning of the Republic of Ghana. I decided to
contact you through this medium because of the sensitivity and confidentiality of this transaction. After the death of my father, and the change of Government, I contacted one of my late father's foreign business partner with the following information for a transaction of $8.5 Million USD as follows:
Paul H. Sonsteby
consulting Engineer
coopersburg,Pennsylvania
18036 Churchill UK
Tel: +44-703-171-9600
Unfortunately,Paul H. Sonsteby died as a result of a chronic Leg foot Diabetes when the Diplomatic Agent have already arrived at Heatrow Airport in London to deliver the Fund as a diplomatic consignment to him before the tragic death.
In other not to forfeit the funds, I decided to contact you through this medium, and I will later procure a Change of Ownership to enable
you stand as the new foreign beneficiary to the Consignment for claim from the Diplomatic agent who is still in London waiting for further
instruction from me to proceed. The contact telephone of the Diplomatic agent in London is as follows:+44-703-174-9672.The agent name is Mr. Thompson Brown . All I want you to do is to emphasis your co-operation and trust , then I will inform you of the next line of action to be taken.
Thanks in anticipatory co-operation,
George Wiredu


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