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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: "=?ISO-8859-1?B?bXMgbG9pcyBqb2huc29u?=" <msloisjohnson3@qq.com>
Date: Fri, 9 Aug 2013 21:48:57 +0800
Subject: Dearest one,

Dearest one,


I am Miss Lois Johnson from Seirra Leone. I am the only surviving Daughter of Late Mr and Mrs Smith Johnson my Father worked with Chevron Corporation for Twenty years before he died in a motor accident with my mother in the year 2010. My late Father deposited the sum of $9.5 Million (Nine Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars) with a bank here in Cote D Iviore.


Recently,my Doctor told me that I have limited days to live due to the stroke and cancerous problems I am suffering from.I have decided to donate this fund to you and want you to use this gift which comes from my late fathers effort to fund the upkeep of widows and charities worldwide.


I took this decision because I do not have any direct brother or sister that will inherit this money and my fathers relations are bourgeois and very wealthy persons and I do not want my late fathers hard earned money to be misused.Please, consider this and get back to me as soon as possible.


Your Faithfully
Miss Lois Johnson

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