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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: "Mr. Ahmed Mahmud" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mr.ahmedmahmud@yahoo.es>
Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2013 06:14:33 -0700
Subject: My Second Email To You!!

Hello,

Please I do not know who you are but I just need to contact someone who is not in Syria because I need immediate assistance.

I am now in Syria and I am one of the Military fighter of the Rebel group who are fighting against the Syria President Basar al Assad Just today, we have succeeded in Bursting into top official’s residence and took over their strong room

Now, many rebel military are looting and carrying everything in their Strong rooms and their private properties and ammunition and guns. I have in one room discovered two boxes, and when I forced open them one box contained full of wrapped United States Dollars which is millions of money, and I opened another box and it is full of new guns big and small ones. I have secured the two boxes with my own power as one of the top fighters of the rebel group, and now I have hide the two boxes in some far place from the fighting zone and now I just found a way to search internet and find way to contact somebody so that I can send this box to you immediately to avoid other rebel from finding out that I hide the box. I
am keeping the Box that contains guns and I will send out the box that contain money to you.

Now , I can not have time to move out from the rebel group because we are under guard and surveillance and if they suspect me any foul play they will just shoot me for sabotage. So, I am planning to send the box which contains the US Dollars which I can estimate can be about 8 Million USD because they are wrapped in US$10,000.00 each wrap and I counted it roughly.

I am planning to use the Vehicles that carry reporters and civilians so they can help me to carry the box as box containing personal properties. Please respond as soon as possible so I can agree with you how to send this box to you in your country as soon as possible. Please never disclose
this matter to anybody and make it very secrete to avoid any problem until the box has left Syria safely.

I have lost my family in this fight , so may be this is what I can gain. I am a construction engineer before this war broke out in Syria

I wait your urgent response.

Mr. Ahmed Mahmud

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