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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: Mrs.Grace Akpan <akpangr1@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: grrakpan1@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 06 Jul 2010 09:06:44 +0700
Subject: MY BELOVED

Dear beloved
I know this letter may be a very big surprise to you, I came across your email contact from my personal search and I got your email address thanks, I am Mrs. Grace Akpan the wife of Mr. Akpan my husband worked with Chevron/Texaco in London for Twenty years before he died in the year 2005.We were married for ten years without a child. My Husband died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days. Before his death we were both born again Christians, Since his death I decided not to re-marry or get a child outside my matrimonial home which the Bible is against. When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of US $10M. (Ten Million U.S.Dollars) with a Bank in Ghana

Presently, this money is still with the Bank and the management just wrote me as the beneficiary to come forward to sign for the release of this money or rather issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my behalf, I can not Go over, Presently, I’m in a hospital in Ghana where I have been under going treatment for esophageal cancer, I have since lost my ability to talk and my doctors have told me that I have only a few weeks to live

It is my last wish to see this money distributed to charity organizations any where in the World, Because relatives and friends have plundered so much of my wealth since my illness, I cannot live with the agony of entrusting this huge responsibility to any of them. I don't need any telephone communication in this regard because of my soundless voice and presence of my husband's relatives around me always. I don't want them to know about this development; With God all things are possible

As soon as i received your information needed by Bank I will give it to my Lawyer who will represent you to start proceeding the transaction with bank immediately

(1) Name..............................
(2) Country...........................
(3) Sex...............................
(4) Occupation........................
(5) Telephone.........................
(6) Age...............................

Yours Truly,
Mrs. Grace Akpan.



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