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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: "Sophie Bella" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <sopheibellalove@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:16:09 -0000
Subject: Allahu akbar

 
 
 
Assalam Alaikum ,
How are you today?I hope fine. I am actually writing you to share the most  intimate details of my life  with you.
My  name is Sophie Bella,I am 21 year old  from Damascus ,Syria,I am 5 ft. 2" tall,single  and God fearing lady. My  hobbies are reading novels,watching  movies,swimming and listening  to music.Sincerity and honest are  my  watch  words.
My father is Mr Hakeem Bella and  my  mother Anita Bella. My father was a wealthy merchant in Syria who supplies  fish  and other sea foods to  almost every part of Syria. This made  him very successful and famous both locally  and internationally. My parents were killed in the war in Syria making me an orphan.  I  am the  only surviving child  of my  parents,two of my younger  siblings  were also killed in the  thick of the war  in  Syria. I had escaped the war by dint of luck when i had  traveled to other side of the town and on my way back i discovered that the war had broken out in our neighborhood and my parents and two siblings has been killed.
I have no home again,right now i am living in a thatch  building erected by the red cross  outside the Southern part of Syria where  displaced people are kept.We are not safe here.We are  afraid that the rebels might break in  here one day and kill everybody.
I am contacting you to seek for a particular help following my detailed story below.
Before my father was killed by the rebels in Syria, he left a huge amount of money totaling  Five million British pounds sterling(£5,000,000) in his foreign bank account in Lloyds bank in London using my name as the net of kin.
I have contacted the bank on  several occasions  requesting them to transfer the fund to me  as  the next of kin  to  my father but the manager of the bank told  me that such huge amount of money could not be released  personally to me except  it is transferred to a foreign bank account outside Syria because of the present civil war in Syria.The bank manager has advised me to provide a foreigner to assist me in transferring the money over to his bank account in his country.
It was during one of  my search for a  capable and trustworthy foreigner to transfer the money to his bank account that I got your contact to locate you. I am very much assured that you will be able to cooperate with me in moving the fund out of the bank to your personal bank account in your country Kuwait.
I am  willing to relocate and join you in your country as soon as the money is transferred from the bank into your bank account.We can open a joint business with the money and you will be in charge of the business.I  have made up my mind to give you  45% of the money and use the rest to establish any good investment in your country which will be under your management.
The bank is asking me to forward the name ,address  and the country of  the foreigner whom i have contacted over transferring the fund to his account.
I will like you to reply me ans send me your name and full address and other contacts information so i may send them to the bank to begin the process of transferring the money to you.
I am  waiting to receive your good response.
 
Thank you in anticipation
 
With Love from
Sophie  Bella

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