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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: "Felix" <fexmbolo@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2013 01:25:26 +0200
Subject: HELLO

Dear Sir/Madam:
I hope that you are going well.
Please, don’t be offended that I write to you without your invitation. In
fact, the purpose of this mail is to seek your advice and assistance. Maybe
you can be able to help me. I am 18 years old from Ivory Coast
(Cote-d’Ivoire); my name is Felix MBolo. Actually, I wanted to know if it
is possible for you to help me enter your country legally to continue my
education. And if you could help me to retrieve certain fund from a bank
here, the sum of $2million to your country.
My father is late; he died during the war in our country in April 2011; he
was shot by the rebels. I have a stepmother, my late father’s wife, and I
have a paternal uncle. These people have refused to pay my school fees
since my father died.
But, I have something that I have kept from them all since my father died,
and this is the reason I have come to you. There is this money, the sum of
($2Million) that my late father kept in some bank here in our country during
the post electoral crisis that caused the war. The papers of the deposit
have always been in my possession. Recently, I wanted to see if I could
claim the money and continue my education outside our country. The bank did
confirm the existence of the fund after verifying the deposit papers I gave
them. But, they said that they cannot treat my application regarding the
fund, until my tutor/guardian, or an elderly relative attest for me.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any reliable family members here to help me. And
since after the war, there is been so much insecurity, ethnic divisions and
mistrust in our country. This is why I have come to you for help. I wanted
to present you to the bank as my tutor so that you could help me retrieve
the fund, and thereafter help come to your country to continue my education.
Please, I want you to help me if you; I am a good boy, and I promise that
your help will not be in vain. So, if can help me, and if you would accept
to take just ($400 000) from the fund for your help, then, I will send to
you all information, and put you in contact with the bank.
Thanks for reading, and I look forward to your response.
Faithfully Yours,
Felix Mbolo
fexmbolo@gmail.com
+22502988581

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