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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: Keren Happuch <kerenhapp91@libero.it>
Reply-To: kerenhapp92@live.hk
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2010 11:15:13 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: I Need Your Assistance


I Need Your Assistance
>From Ms. Keren Happuch 

My address:   Town Lot 21
                   BP. Abidjan 01, Ivory Coast.

I am sorry to come to you in this way, I am writing this mail to you with due respect trust and humanity, i appeal to you to exercise a little patience and read through my message, i came across your profile and my spirit lead me to contact you,well i realy needed some one honest,truthfull to share my feelings and my burden with you, let me introduce my self to you, I am Ms. Keren Happuch, 19 years old the only daugther to late Mr and Mrs Happuch Christian. a Native of Ivory Coast in West Africa.
 
My father was very wealthy business man when he was alive who deal with car importation and he was killed because of his weath by one of our family member so that he will clam my father's property which he has already don, my mother have die many years ago and my father take good care of me as his only duaghther, Before the death of my father on (September 2007) in a private hospital here in Abidjan Ivory Coast, where he was admitted,
 
He secretly called me on his bed side and disclosed to me about  Two Million, Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars ( USD$2. 500,000 ) in a hard metal trunk box and deposited it with one of the Security Company here in Abidjan. As a result of high rate of conflate going on in this country as of then, and he also tell me where he keep all the document which the security company issued him when he deposited the money, and my name was writen as nest of king as his only daughther,
 
So i am contacting you to help me and stand as my foreign partner who want to asist me retrive the money,  because i am still a small girl and i dont have an experience of transfer and i don't also have an account that is why i come for your help,
 
Dear permit me to ask you this question
(1) Can you take good care of me when i come over to your country
(2) Can you stand as the beneficial of the fund since I am only 19yers old.
(3) Can you help me as your Sister/Daughter/
(4) Can you make arrangement for me to come over to your country after the money is transfer, and further my education and also invest the money there in your country.
 
I have decided to offer you 25% of the total amount for your effort and your willingness to help me, immidiately i hear from you concerning my request.I will forward to you all the  neccessary documents concerning this deposit with the company contact so that you will contact the security company for the transfer of the trunk box into your country, contact me with this E-mail address: kerenhapp92@live.hk ?
 
Thanks for your understanding
God bless.
Ms. Keren Happuch.


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