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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: "United Nations Compensation" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <unitednation200@yahoo.cn>
Date: Sat, 13 Apr 2013 15:41:02 -0500
Subject: RE:Notification of your ATM Card Deliver.

 
Ref No: UN 190043/DE/011
UNITED NATION COMPENSATION COMMISSION / WORLD BANK COMPENSATION UNIT
Dear Beneficiary,
We write to inform you that we have been authorized by the International Community in conjunction with the World Bank to investigate the list of scammed victims who as one way or the other lost their valuables-Money, Assets, etc to perpetrator. We have been having a meeting for the past 7 months which ended today. This email is to all the people that have been scammed in any part of the world, the United Nations has agreed to compensate them with the sum of $10,500,000.00 million US dollars.
This includes every foreign contractors that may have not received their contract sum, and people that have had an unfinished transaction or international businesses that failed due to Government problems,etc, We found your name/email in our list and that is why we are contacting you,this have been agreed upon and have been signed.
Contact Mrs.Linda Smith immediately for your Compensation payment because she is our payment agent in West Africa, and our UNITED NATIONS representative in West Africa. Give her your File Reference (RE-1077-V). immediately via this Email: unitednation200@yahoo.cn
For your payment of $10,500,000.00 million US dollar. This fund is in an ATM CARD for security purpose. So she will send it to you and you can make use of the ATM CARD in any bank in the world.
Hoping to hear from you as soon as you cash your ATM CARD. Making the world a better place.
Best Regards,
Secretary-General
Yours Faithfully,
Mr. Kofi Anna
Secretary United Nations West Africa
(Financial Officer)United Nations.
 

Anti-fraud resources: