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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: Ah D <emarketingdirector.ejb@gmail.com>
Reply-To: jo.do195@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 21:18:56 -0800
Subject: From Ahmed in Syria, please help me

My Dear Friend,

I am Ahmed Dawoud (Egyptian) living in Homs, Syria. I lost my parents, two
sisters, and relations with our family assets/house during the recent war
in Syria. I was just lucky to be alive after participating in the protest.
The civil war in Syria is growing more apparent as the conflict steadily
intensifies between the Alawite- dominated regime of Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad and the mainly Sunni rebel Free Syrian Army. At the start
of the rebellion before this tragedy, my late father who was a businessman
who dealt on GOLD & DIAMONDS and made good savings from his business,
withdrew all his money from the bank and packaged it in a box labeled as
GOLD & DIAMOND but concealed in it is the sum of USD12 million in cash. The
box was safely moved out of Syria with the help of a Diplomat, for safety
of the funds due to the rebellion against the government as he was an
anti-Bashar al-Assad and supported the protesters. He did not want Bashar
al- Assad barbaric government to seize his funds at the bank.

I seek your urgent cooperation to take delivery and keep safe the box/funds
and assist me relocate to your country as I am presently stranded here and
have no access to it. Presently I have receive email from the diplomat
confirming he has safely moved the box away and deposited it safely at a
diplomatic courier warehouse abroad. I am writing you to assist me receive
this box in your country, and keep safely for me until I am able to
relocate from here. You have my permission/authority to collect 20% of the
funds on receiving it, for your timely assistance. Please indicate your
readiness to assist me immediately so that all the information about this
box will be passed to you immediately. Send to me immediately the
following information; 1. Your names, contact address, and telephone
numbers. 2. Date of birth, occupation, sex, marital status and
identification copy for documentation purposes. As soon as I receive your
reply mail I shall forward your information to the diplomatic courier
company abroad to contact you for the delivery of the box to you as my
proxy. I shall send you the Power of Attorney to present to the
diplomatic courier company so that they can release the box to you. Please
help me and reply me immediately you receive this mail via my email:
adawoud36@qq.com

Your friend in need,
Ahmed Dawoud
(Syria)
Email: adawoud36@qq.com

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