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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: "Mrs. Ruth Brown" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <ruthbrowncharity@qq.com>
Date: Wed, 23 Oct 2013 13:25:38 +0100
Subject: GREETINGS DEAR FRIEND PLEASE CAN I TRUST YOU

Greetings Dear friend

Your first reaction to this mail will be total rejection, scare and may be unbelief, owing largely to the atrocities people commit these days. But this mail comes from a devastated, sorrowful and emotional heart that needs compassion from a kind and good spirited person to wipe away my tears, perhaps when I am gone beyond this sinful world.

With due respect and apology if i am bothering you in any manner, I know the internet is not safe anymore, people have abused it so much that it is difficult to trust anyone, lies, deceit, impersonation and theft to name but few. so please, i am begging you to handle what i am about to say with a pure heart and utmost secrecy. If after reading this email, you feel you cannot be of any help to me, please delete this message to avoid internet mongers pretending to me.

My name is Mrs.Ruth Brown, I am a 61 years old Australian widow of circumstance, married to a British Geologist/Researcher. We had a beautiful daughter (Courtney) who died in 1999 after 7yrs battling with Quadriplegia paralysis, the kind that affect the spinal cord of a person, leaving such person completely unable to move. She became paralyzed after an accident during one of her skating practice. All this years, i have been trying to leave with the lose of my only child, until death in it uninvited manner came knocking again, this time, my beloved husband, my only source of happiness was taking away from me in a car accident while on research mission in the Venezuelan Amazon. The accident claimed the lives of all 13 passengers on board.

After my husband death, and because i am bed ridden in the hospital with Ovarian Cancer, relatives have squandered so much of his wealth in pretence of trying to help my condition because i have no child of my own to inherit my husbands sweat. To avoid further squandering of his wealth, i managed to sell all the inheritance, accrued savings and life gratuity of my late husbandand entrust it in the custody of a finance house.

Presently, my condition have become more complex to an extend that it has spread into my pelvic cavity, consequently, due for another surgery i am not sure i will survive. According to experts, a complex procedure that may allow me to breath for few weeks, maybe months as a result of my health deteriorating very fast. I am too weak to engage in any physical endeavours because my illness. And it is my last wish that trustworthy people like you receive my funds from the finance house and use it for humanitarian purpose like setting up orphanage homes, misplaced people etc. I took this decision because it is the wish of my late husband and i dont want to die without carrying out his wish. Please let me know if i can trust you for this evangelism.

I place no condition on your management of the funds except that you use it for the purpose specified. Please, i also asked that you pray for me as regards my surgery even though i believe strongly my life is in the hands of God and not any human. As i said earlier, forgive me for disturbing you but i will appreciate your reply no matter your state of mind, negative or positive, it is all right by me. Please write back.

With love and admiration for you and your family, Remain abundantly blessed

Mrs. Ruth Brown
Wife to late Mr. James Polly Brown

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