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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: "ahmed225@cantv.net" <ahmed225@cantv.net>
Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2010 04:10:08 -0430
Subject: From: Ahmed Yusuf.

From: Ahmed Yusuf.

Permit me to inform you that after reading about you on the net. I became interested in disclosing every thing about myself to you. I am interested in a long-term business relationship with you. I am Ahmed Yusuf the son of late Dr. Mahmmud Yusuf Family, the former chief accountant to the Sierra-Leone gold cooperation in kenama, who was assassinated by the RUF rebels during his visit to our village.

Unfortunately my Mother Mrs. Alima Yusuf died for hypertension one year later in our country and before then my mother has already advised me to look for a foreign partner to transfer this fund and invest it abroad. I inherited a total sum of $11.5 million us dollars, from my late beloved father as the next of kin to my family. This money, which is concealed and deposited with a private security company here in Abidjan under a special arrangements as deposited on behalf of a foreign partner.

 Now that I am in Abidjan and verified the address of the security company from the certificate of deposit which was given to me by my late mother, I need your assistance to help move this funds out for investment in your country as I can not invest here due to its close range to our country and here are undergoing political crisis. I ask you to scout for a valuable and lucrative business, so that we can invest wisely. I have in mind to give you 15% of the total sum, and 5% will be kept aside for any expenses during the period of this transaction.

Please, all of these are what you will consider in your mind how faithfully you will be to me over this transaction, because this is the only inheritance that i inherit from my late parents in other to live, please this is an urgent letter, may the Almighty God bless you as you will come in to rescue my future. By this mail you are now requested to arrange on how I can move the fund quickly to your country for investment.

Thanks and may God Bless you and your Family.

I wait for your urgent response.

Best Regards

Ahmed Yusuf.

 

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