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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: "Susan Elliot Machipisa" (may be fake)
Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:26:36 +0530
Subject: FOR THE SAKE OF GOD AND HUMANITY...PLEASE READ THIS MAIL

Hello Dearly,

With due respect and humbleness, I am writing you this letter to request with my sincere heart for your assistance.
My name is Miss Susan. My father late Elliot Machipisa was a successful businessman, Industrialist and a Human Right defender. My father was detained and later killed by the President Mugabe owned ZANU-PF Militias group. He accused my father and others of supporting the opposition party. After my father's death the rebels attack our house one early morning and shot my mother. She later died in the hospital after two weeks in coma.
http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/1477

http://www.hrw.org/news/2011/03/08/zimbabwe-no-justice-rampant-killings-torture
During the time my father was in detention, he briefed me in close confidence of certain money (US$9.7), which he deposited in a foreign bank (ENGLAND) for safe keeping as a result of instability/insecurity in our country. This Money as he told me was deposited for overseas investment with my name (SUSAN ELLIOT MACHIPISA) as the beneficiary.

On maturity of the fixed deposit, the Bank sent a routine notification to me as regards the maturity of the fixed deposit account but I could not do anything because of my present status as a refugee which according to the local laws does not authorize me to carry out such transaction. However, the bank manager advised me to provide a trustee who will stand on my behalf for the transfer of the fund.
Again as a result of delay, the bank sent another notification to me but this time to inform me of the ethics and policies of the Deposit holding firm, that this funds will be declared unclaimable or be confiscated for already the account has been tagged dormant because it has exceeded the normal functional number of years.

The main reason why I am contacting you now is to seek you assistance in the area of my future investment and also for help in the following ways to keep alive my father's dream of overseas investments:

1- To assist me in providing an account of yours where this fund can quietly be transferred and stand as a trustee as required by the bank.
2- To serve as the guardian of this fund and invest this fund in any area of business you may suggest in your country under partnership basis.
3- To make arrangement for me to come over to your country with assurance of security.

Presently I am in South Africa on asylum status, which deprives me of my basic financial and human rights to a smooth and better living. I have with me all the legal documents that cover the fund.
I promise to give you 20% for your assistance after the fund is transferred successfully, 5% will be used to settle any expenses that may be incurred while the rest 75% will be kept for me or be invested on my behalf.
You can contact me directly through my email id: s_ellm@live.com.

I sincerely will appreciate your willingness to assist me as soon as possible.
Yours Sincerely,
Susan Elliot

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