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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: "S. WOLANYO" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <iwright855@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:33:01 +0100
Subject: Read Carefully and Respond as Soon as Possible.

Dear Friend,

I am Mr. Solomon Wolanyo, i work with a reputable Security Company in Ghana. I got your information from a reliable source and I decided to contact you believing that by the grace of God, that you will not disappoint me over this Deal. I have been working with the Company for the past years. There is one Mr. Abdullah Al-Sudani a citizen of Iraq an Oil Businessman with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation {GNPC}.

In 2005, Mr. Abdullah Al-Sudani made a deposit of Two Trunk Boxes containing {US$35,800,000.00} Thirty-Five Million, Eight Hundred Thousand United States Dollars with our Security Company as Family Treasures based on his request. After six months, we sent a routine notification to his forwarding address but got no reply and finally we discovered from his contract employers, the {GNPC} that Mr. Abdullah Al-Sudani died in a bomb blast during his visit to members of his family in Iraq. These two trunk boxes are still sitting in our Security Company Vault. No one have ever come forward to claim it.

Since the inception of the year 2008, our Company's Management has change the procedure to claim safe custody items, such that as soon as you are able to produce the Secret code and Certificate of Deposit for a consignment/ safe custody item, it will be released to you on demand.

I have finalized every arrangement for you to claim the Two Trunk Boxes containing {US$35,800,000.00} as the Beneficiary/Business-partner to the Deceased {Abdullah Al- Sudani}. So that I and you can use the fund for investment in a more political stable economy abroad, I will supply you with all the information and documents and you will send it to the management of our Company.

The procedure is simple; Apply officially to the Director of Foreign Operations of the Security Company, requesting for the release of consignment/ safe custody item No. T-000517 and T-000518. They will demand for the Secret code, Certificate of deposit and Reference code of the safe custody items and it will then be released to you. I will use your name, address, telephone and fax numbers to change the original document in the file and every thing will be okay hence I am in charge.

I will be expecting your swift response in my private email: swolanyo1@rediffmail.com

Best regards.
Solomon Wolanyo

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