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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: Manuela Philippe <manuelaphillipe@yahoo.co.jp>
Reply-To: manuelaphilippee@hotmail.com
Date: 31 Oct 2013 13:27:23 +0000
Subject: Hello Sir


REQUEST FOR INVESTMENT
>From Mrs. Manuela Philippe
Address: Lot 15 Rue des Jardins
Cocody-Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
31/10/2013.

Good morning Sir,

I am very sorry to send you this message which you did not expect from me today and do not be surprise to read my mail because you are the intended recipient. I got your email address during my search for an honest person and I contacted you personally because my heart tells me that you are the rightful person who can assist me.

My name is Manuela Philippe; I am 19 years old girl and the only daughter of late Mr. and Mrs. Desire Philippe. My father was a very wealthy cocoa merchant here in Abidjan, the economic capital of Ivory Coast and he also worked with the cocoa exporting company as director general.

With deep sense of sorrow and great lost, I wish to inform you that my father was poisoned to death by his business partners on one of their business meetings. My mother died when I was still a baby and that was the reason my father took me so special until his death on 20th January 2012.

Before the death of my father on 20th January 2012 in a private hospital here in Abidjan, he secretly called me on his bedside, when I sat down to listen to him, he presented all his banking files to me and started crying and complained that I am too young to be managing my life with no one to take care of me.

My father was very sad because I have not finished my university education as he planned for me; he revealed to me that he has a total sum of 3.800, 000.00 US$ (Three Million, Eight Hundred Thousand American dollars) deposited in my name (Manuela Philippe) as the next of kin in one of the bank here in my country Ivory Coast and he gave me all the documents and bank contacts.

I contacted you today because my father’s younger brother (my uncle) is trying to force me and collect my inherited money from me because I am a little girl and I am the only child of my late parents. He has sent me out from my father’s family house for the past two months ago. I am now staying in a local hotel room for the past 2 months because of my safety.

Please I am honorably seeking your assistance in the following ways.

1- I want you to help me transfer the funds (3.800, 000.00 US$) to your bank account.

(2) After the transfer to your bank account, you will help me come to your country to continue my education in the university.

(3) You will also help me to invest the money in any good business over there in your country until I finish my university education, then I can start from where you will stop in the investments.

Moreover, I am willing to offer you 25% of the total sum as compensation for your assistance in the successful transfer of this deposit to your country which I believed that this project would be concluded within few days you signify your maximum interest to assist me.

I will be waiting for your fast reply so that I will give you more details…

Regards,

Manuela


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