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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: "Gary Smith" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <jacksonmiller@secretarias.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:41:09 -0500
Subject: Urgent

Hello My name is Jackson Miller, Attorney at law. I have a client with identical surnames as you, recently deceased, who has left behind a huge financial asset.

I have been given an ultimatum from the bank to provide them with a surviving family member, but have not had any success after several attempts in contacting his embassy.

I would like to present you as a surviving family member which would allow you to claim the funds left behind by my client. If you are interested, please contact me with your full name and a valid phone number.

Kind Regards,

Jackson Miller.


Anti-fraud resources: