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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: "Hellen James" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <hellen.james57@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 00:46:45 -0800
Subject: I HOPE THIS MEET YOU IN GOOD HEALTH!!!

Dear friend,

Please I will like to share with you my problems. I was married for 2
years but now divorced without kids. I have had a lot of bad
experience in my previous relationships, and I do not want to fall
into the same problem anymore, because I have been used and suffered
lots of emotional torture from my ex and I will not want to be used or
played games with again in my life. I've been divorced for 2 years
now, I was adopted by my father and at that time he had no woman
staying with him. I loved him so much that he gave me a good life. The
sad part of it is that he passed away about 3 years ago after a kidney
problem. I'm the only daugther, the only kid of my family. We used to live
in a big house.

My dad is a native American. It’s so sad whenever I think and come to
conclusion that the world is a cruel one, taking the good ones away,
leaving the bad ones behind to live on which makes the world goes more
cruel and hard on people, this has dawn on me as I have experienced
lots of cruel things I never thought of Sometimes I feel like the
world should crash on me, looking back and thoughts about my status as
an orphan. I need someone to fill my heart with love, someone to make
me feel glad, taking me out of my worries, giving me love, someone to
stand by me like a father and mother, someone so loving and caring to
get me out of my worries so I don't feel neglected, rejected.

My husband, steve Lynn played games on me lots and treated me so bad in
our marriage. he absconded with my dad's money which was kept with me
after a completion of a contract in EAST London, UK. When my girl
friend got absconded with the undisclosed sum of US dollars, this
brought the first broke up between me and my dad, because he thought
we had the deal together, but not knowing that I'm innocent about
this. So my dad has been harsh and tough on me about this. After all
these happened to me and caused by my Ex husband, I met an African man
online there who promised heaven and earth that he wants to marry me
and make me happy in life; "I never knew I was going to have my
greatest night mare. he made use of the advantage knowing that I am
lonely and I needed to someone so close to make me happy in life as my
dad the only one I had is dead.

The African man told me of an investment opportunity in Africa and
he convinced me to come along with lots of money while coming down,
which I did. On getting here, all his intention was to take away the
money from me, play me and leave me alone. I came from the states with
all the money I realized from my Dad's business and contracts
remuneration of five million USD, because the African man told me of
an idea to investment in African Sculptures which I feel it’s a good
investment. When I got here, he tried all possible means to get the
money from me and get away with my money .When I noticed this, I took
the money and my traveling boxes and deposited it with a
Security/Insurance Company here in Africa in order to save myself and
my assets.

Thereafter I left the man apartment to a hotel where I stay at the
moment and communicating with you now. I am right here in Nigeria,
Africa fed up of life and even thinking of committing suicide but I
guess I should hold on till I find someone that will help me. I
understand that this internet stuff is hard to believe because of what
people do with it nowadays as I fell into this mess, that’s why I am
in the condition I am in today. I will appreciate your help. I really
want to get out of here and come back to the states. I really need
your trust and help to get me out of this trouble I am into and I
promise I will not get you disappointed. I will really appreciate your
help towards this.

Once I get there, I will really appreciate it, and I want to believe
that you will not let me down. As I've discussed what brought me here
from the states. While I was coming here, the African man told me to
come with enough money for investment and I even went to the extent to
sell my inherited house just because I want to leave the states and
make myself happy thinking I had finally found the man I have been
waiting for all my life. Thereafter, I left the man apartment to an
hotel where I am in right now and from which I am writing to you now.

Now, I'm in need of your help, have gotten the enough money to run
myself when I get to the states, I don't want to live here anymore,
you know I'm a foreigner here and it is absolute danger for me here,
so that is why I need your kind assistance. How I want you to help me?
I have the money hidden from the man here in West Africa and I've
left her apartment, because I might get setup if I did not act fast,
so for me to be more safe and secure, I put this money in a trunk box
and got it locked up with a security code known to me only, and I
deposited the box with some of my traveling luggage with a Security
and Insurance Company who render private diplomatic delivery service
and I told them that the box is my traveling luggage, which I want to
send forth to the states because I'm returning home, then I paid them
up their custody and security fee, but I did not tell them that the
box contains money in order to make everything secure and safe.

I want the box sent to you while I catch up with you as soon as it is
been delivered to you then I come over to meet you. Every arrangement
for the delivery is kind perfect, I have obtained customs papers for
private freight and there are seals on the box showing that it is a
private delivery and check performed, it is free from customs checks,
it will be delivered at your door step by the diplomats of the
security company, you do not need to burn out to receive it. The box
has security lock code known to me only, only me can open the box,
except if I tell anyone the Code, so the box cannot be opened on the
way for delivery to you.

Therefore, I want you to contact me as soon as possible, so that I can
give you all my deposit details and information for you to make the
Clearance from the Security Company as my friend who is to receive my
box for me there so they can be rest assured that the box is safe for
delivery since my friend would be receiving them for me. And once the
box gets to you, I will let you know the lock codes to open the box
and the instructions, then you can open the box in order to have some
money sent to me for my flight to the states. Once I get there, we
shall invest the money together, provided you will not disappoint
neither take advantage of me.

I hereby promise 15% of the total fund for you to meet any personal
needs and I can get something done with the balance. I am counting on
you with trust and I will appreciate your trust towards this and
hoping to hear from you and to meet you in person. Let me hear from
you as soon as possible, so that I can give you the deposit details
and the contact of the security company to arrange the shipment ASAP.
Promise to help me on this so that I can come back to the state as
soon as you help me get my money to you...

Hope to read from you with you helping hand...

hellen james.

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