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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: "Mega Millions Jackpot Lottery" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <drmohammedsheikh@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 20 May 2011 21:54:00 +0100
Subject: Congratulations You Have Won

Mega Millions Lottery Program
127 Wharf Road, P.O.Box 3643,
Bayswater N9 SW12 London, United Kingdom.
Phone: +44 703 189 5981
 
 
Dear Esteemed Winner,
Congratulations, you have won 1,000,000.00 (ONE MILLION BRITISH POUNDS) from MEGA
MILLIONS LOTTERY PROGRAM as one of the 9 top lucky winners for the month of MAY, 2011.
 
                               THESE ARE YOUR WINNING INFORMATION'S:
Batch Number  089/75588
Winning Numbers 05,17,25,34,37
Reference Number MM/5464542
Payment No. MM 0348
 
To begin your claims, kindly contact our Overseas Payment Officer, Dr Mohammed Sheikh with below details.
******************************************
Dr Mohammed Sheikh  (Overseas Payment Officer)
Email:    drmohammedsheikh@gmail.com
*******************************************
 
You are required to forward your winning details to Dr Mohammed Sheikh email address above for verification purposes and release of your won prize to your local bank account in your country. You are also required to forward all the following information to the above e-mail addresses for verification and payment.
1. FULL NAME: ..............................................          
2. NATIONALITY: ...........................................   
3. AGE: ...........................................................
4. OCCUPATION: ............................................
5. TELEPHONE NUMBER: .................................
 
For security reasons, we advice you to keep your Lottery winning SECRET until you receive your prize in your bank account. This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program by unscrupulous elements.
Yours Sincerely,
Mrs. Anita Martins (MEGA MILLIONS LOTTERY COORDINATOR)

Anti-fraud resources: