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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: "Richard (Eveng.)" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <paulrichard@neu.com.cn>
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:19:41 +0100
Subject: Please Invest For A Widow!

Dear Beloved,
I write with the optimism that you will as a matter of utmost urgency, respond quickly to this request even as I pray and hope that we are able to find common grounds to work together for this humanitarian endeavor.

A widow member of my congregation is on the brink of losing everything bequeathed to her. She has already lost five houses including the one she is presently living in. In spite of the fact that those houses were legitimately willed to her and the children, the extended family members of the late husband have callously used their political influences to secure a court order to take ownership of the houses on the grounds that the houses were developed on lands that were properties of the family and not the husband.

Fortunately for her, the late husband had an amount of US$5.6 million deposited discreetly with a safe keeping house and she has the entire papers that indicate her as the beneficiary. Considering the devilish tendencies of the late husband’s family and their political connections, she has thought it wise to have the funds sent out of Ghana and invested for the future of her underage children since she herself is already suffering from an incurable lung cancer that could take her life any time.

And as an uneducated person, she relies on me for every help she has come to need and it is in that vein that she has asked that I look for an honest and competent business person abroad to take custody of the funds for investments on behalf of her children under a mutually rewarding trusteeship agreement. What I am looking out for are ventures with minimal risk involvements but steadily profitable.

I request you to handle the fund for her and it is to that effect that I decided to contact you. Should you therefore be disposed for this, as I believe, kindly write back so that I can further discuss with you.

I look forward to your positive response pretty soon.

Yours truly in Christ,

Rev. Paul Richard
(Senior Pastor)
Mount Zion Evangalical Ministry Church,
Accra Ghana
Tel: +233-261252376 (Direct)

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