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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: "Jan" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <anrow39@yahoo.com.hk>
Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:26:33 +0100
Subject: Urgent investment

Hello,

My name is Mr. Jan and I am contacting you from Liberia for a mutual business relationship and investment. I have some funds realized through contract brokerage and I need your cooperation to invest the funds. The first stage requires transferring the funds to your account for subsequent investment. I therefore want you to work with me as a partner. On receipt of your response, I will send you full details of the transaction and more information about myself. I am waiting for your prompt response. Please send your reply to mrjan777@yahoo.com.hk

Jan

Anti-fraud resources: