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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. Susan Shabangu" <chris_emeka2000@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: sagdoy@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 20 Apr 2011 10:14:41 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: From: Mrs. Susan Shabangu, Minister of Mineral Resources of the Republic of South Africa




Hello,

I don't want you to feel embarrassed receiving this letter in your email since we don't know each other from Adam.  Here is a woman that is desperately in need of help and when somebody is desperate, he or she is bound to do anything.


My name is Mrs. Susan Shabangu, a mother of three children and the Minister of Mineral Resources of the Republic of South Africa.  You can view my profile at my website http://www.info.gov.za/leaders/ministers/mining.htm.  I lost my husband Mr. Ndelebe Shabangu while he was on an official trip to Trinidad and Tobago in 2002.  I am aware that he deposited the sum of £15.8 Million (Fifteen Million, Eight Hundred Thousand British Pounds Sterling) with a Security Firm in Europe.  This is part of the money he made through my ministry between 1998 and 2002 as a result of contract the government of South Africa awarded him, which I stood strongly to make sure my late husband is the right person for the contract.

However, the contract was not completed before his death and the Government of South Africa is planning to set up a committee to probe unfinished contracts between 1998 to date and if this fund is discovered to have been deposited by my husband in this Security Firm, it will be confiscated and this will shake my political ambition and career in the government.  For this reason, I deliberated with my children and they are all in support of this plan to solicit for help for somebody to help us stand as beneficiary of the amount and have the fund moved out immediately from the Security Firm.

As a result of our deliberation, £4 Million (Four Million British Pounds Sterling) will be given to you for your kind assistance.  An agreement must be reached between you and my attorney to assure me and my three children that you will not elope with our fund.

Due to the sensitive position I held in the government of South Africa, I will not want you to call me on phone to discuss this development, otherwise somebody might be listening or we end up talking to ourselves on a bugged phone.  To be free from this, send a return mail before I can discuss the issue with my attorney who will continue the discussion both on phone and email with you, which means for now, all correspondence must be by email.

If you are kind enough to render my family this assistance, it will be to our pleasure to receive your response.  Thanking you for your anticipated co-operation and God bless you.


Regards


Mrs. Susan Shabangu
Minister of Mineral Resources of the Republic of South Africa

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