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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: ange douglas <ange_dou9@att.net>
Reply-To: ange_dou210@yahoo.co.jp
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:27:01 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Hello My Dear


Hello My Dear
 
I do not know how you will react to my letter to you, but with the sincerety of my heart, i pray that you read my letter and God bless you. how are you, your work and all your family. i hope that you are fine. and also the weekend is very very good to you.
 
I have cried and prayed so much as i decided to write to you these letter. Please do not hurt me please. I know it is not a bad thing i did to contact you for these assistance. please accept me as your own.Please do not be angry because I write to you this letter, please do not be sad with my situation, but accept me because God give me these grace to write to you these letter.
 
My Name is Ange Douglas,I am 20years old. Many years ago, things were better for me, until death take my father away, father was poisoned and i became an orphan because my mother died at my early age of 6 years. I was left in the ugly hands of my uncle .he was very cruel and wicked to me. My uncle and his wife turned me to a slave, and a servant, even in my own fathers house. The situation became so bad for me, and I decided to run away from home to a nearby village to hide because I even stopped going to school and because I was dying of hunger and sickness and no one cared to take care of me. I started to do small small labour work at the village where I was hiding to survive and atleast have something to eat.
 
My father was successful in his business. he has a very big farm, and also a company where the produce plastics but he sold all of them when the sickness became so much for him.My father deposited the Sum of ($3.5million USD  ) , in a fixed domiciliary account with a bank and he used my name as the beneficiary/Next of Kin. so when the situation became so hard for me, I took the documents and ran away.
 
Many times I call the bank manager on telephone with the contact address that father gave to me, so he say I should do what my father say because the have an agreement with father and the will keep with it because I have to be 25 years old before the will release the money to me. now I have contact you with my whole life, I want you to be my guardian, and stand for me. I want to present you to the bank and the will transfer the money to you and you will bring me over to your country. My situation is very bad , and I am very sick now.
 
I shall send to you all the documents that father give to me. And also I shall give to you the contact of the bank so you contact them as my guardian.As soon as I hear from you, I shall give to you the contact of the bank so you will contact them as my guardian and tell them to transfer my inheritance to you.Please  accept me as your own and be good to me. I shall always be good to you all my life.
 
I am yours.
Miss Ange Douglas

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