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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: "MRS.MARIA ROBERTO" <drwed@helen.ocn.ne.jp>
Reply-To: "mariaroberto1940@gmail.com" <mariaroberto1940@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2013 20:28:38 +0900 (JST)
Subject: PLEASE HELP ME ACCOMPLISH MY LAST WISH...

Dearly Beloved,

I pray that this mail will fined you in good health. It’s my pleasure to write
to you and I know that this letter may be a very big surprise to you, I came
across your email contact from my personal search and I decided to contact you
in order to help me carry out my wish. I believe that you will be honest and
sincere to fulfill my final wish before anything will happen to me.

I am Mrs. Maria Roberto from Mexico I am 73 years old, I am suffering from a
long time cancer of the breast, which also affected my health. From all
indication my condition is really deteriorating, and my doctors have
courageously advised me that I may not live beyond the next few months; this is
because the cancer stage has reached a critical stage. I was brought up in a
motherless baby's home, and was married to my late husband for twenty years
without a child. My husband and I are true Christians, but quite unfortunately,
he died in crisis.

Since his death I decided not to re-marry, I sold all my inherited belongings
and deposited all the sum of $8.520million dollars with a Financial Institution.
Presently, this money is still in their custody, and the management just wrote
me as the Legitimate beneficiary to come forward to show the new beneficiary or
rather issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my behalf
since I can not come over as a result of my illness, or they get it confiscated.
Presently, I'm with my laptop in a hospital where I have been undergoing treatment.
It is my last wish to see that this money is invested in any organization of and
distributed each year among the charity organization, the poor and the
motherless baby’s home etc. I want your good humanitarian, to also use this
money to fund churches, orphanages and widows around. I must let you know that
this was a very hard decision, but I had to take a bold step towards this issue
because I have no further option. I hope you will help see my last wishes come
true. And i want you to please be sure that everything is handle perfectly and
legitimately.

As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the Financial
Institution. I will also issue you a letter of authority, which will prove that
you are the new beneficiary of my funds. Please assure me that you will act
accordingly as I stated herein. Hope to hear from you soonest I have to rest now
till i hear from you soonest.

Get back only if you are interested please.email: mariaroberto1940@gmail.com

May God Bless you,
Mrs. Maria Roberto.
email: mariaroberto1940@gmail.com

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