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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: Mary Manto <mmanto1972@gmail.com>
Reply-To: mmanto1972@yahoo.com
Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2010 05:31:38 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: HELP


Greetings,
I got your contact in my searching of a good reputation foreign partner to assist me in my late husband properties. My late husband was former district leaders of the diamond city and an executive member of the Diamond Mining Association in Sierra Leone.
Before his death he disclosed to me that he deposited two trunk boxes contain sum of US$18.2 Million in a Security Company in Accra, Ghana, in a neighboring country in West Africa, after all, I had gave the Security Company a call and was confirmed that the boxes are intact but right now am dissable and i can not even travel because of my present predicament.
I decide to solicit for your kind assistance to help me and my only son to invest these funds on our behalf the sum of US$18.2 Million and to sell 20kg of Gold Alluvial Dust in your country after claim from the security company for us and invest the total funds in your Business Venture for a long term and pay us monthly on an agreeable terms to be worked out later.
Our lives and future of my only son depends on these funds and as such, I will be grateful if you can assist us. I am seeking your assistance to invest this fund out of Africa for investment purpose.
I want you to come on board help clear this money from the deposit company, open an account on your name, and transfer the funds to your designated account in your country because i want to empower you for this transaction so that you have full legal power to negotiate this transaction as my legal representative.
Why I also want you is that my husband specifically put it in his will and advice me that I must consult a foreign partner to assist me to move the funds and the gold out of Africa, I think was to save as a check on my part so that I would not loose the money, as this is the only money left for the success of my son in this generation.
What I demanded from you is to assure me the safety of this money when it finally gets to you. Further information and arrangement will commence as soon as trust, confidence and good relationship is established. I shall be most grateful if you could maintain this high level of confidentiality I repose on you concerning this matter.
My health is not in good shape now, because am hypertension patient and I need your help as quick as you can please. Please response as soon as possible so that I can send all the deposition documents to you and you can get in touch with the security company for inquiry on how to proceed on my behalf.
Thanks for your personal consideration. Respond to me soon.
Yours Sincerely,
Mary Manto

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