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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: Alice Williams <mrs.alicewilliams76@yahoo.com.ph>
Reply-To: mrs.alice_williams001@hotmail.com
Date: Sat, 19 Nov 2011 12:18:59 +0800 (SGT)
Subject: Be My Beneficiary....


Dearest Friend,
 
Greetings in the name of God,

I want you to be my beneficiary anywhere you may
be, if God will in his infinite mercies touch your heart, i am reaching you privately from hospital. Please let my health condition not sound strange to you for my only surviving husband who would have done this died early last year.

I searched for you with my laptop computer while on my sick bed.I am Mrs.Alice williams,I am 55,years old,i am deaf and suffering from a long time cancer of the breast which also affected my brain,from all indication my conditions is really deteriorating and it is quite obvious that, according to my doctors,they have advised me that i may not live for the next two months,this is because the cancer stage has gotten to a very bad stage in my body. I was brought up from a motherless babies home, was married to my late husband for twenty years without a child because of series of abortions in my youth age.

My husband died in a fatal motor accident.Before his death we were true Christians.Since his death I decided not to re-marry,I sold all my inherited belongings and deposited all the sum of 9.5million dollars with a reliable bank here in the country.Presently,this money is still with them and the management just wrote me as the true owner to come forward to receive the money for keeping it so long or rather issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my behalf since I can not come over because  of my illness or they get it consfisticated.

Presently, I'm with my laptop in a hospital where I have been undergoing treatment for cancer of the Breast. I have since lost my ability to talk and my doctors have told me that I have only a few months to live. It is my last wish to see that this money is invested to any organization of your choice and distributed each year among the charity organization,the poor and the motherless babies home where i came from.I want you to be a God fearing person, to also use this money to fund churches, orphanages and widows.I took this decision, before i rest in peace because my time will soon be up. Give me these information if i can trust you.

Full Name................
Age/Sex..................
Contact phone number.............
Address...........
Occupation.....
Marital status...
Country..........
 
Send these informations to my private box here;

mrs.alice_williams001@hotmail.com
 
You have to do that immediately send me your information and subject to your response, i will have the hospital attorney draft out an agreement to seal up this fund in your name and you can also deal with the bank directly if you want.I will also issue you a letter of authority that will prove you as the new beneficiary of my late husband's fund.

Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated here in. Hoping to hear from you soon.Please you must treat this as a personal matter as God will bless you for helping me.

Sincerely yours,
Mrs.Alice williams.


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