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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: mwilson11@terra.com
Date:
Subject:



Dearest Beloved,
 
After going through your profile= I decided to contact you for friendship and assistance and distribution of= my inheritances have to say that I have no intentions of causing you any P= ains so I decided to contact you through this medium. I got your Contact th= rough a personal search via the internet.
 
As you read this, I = don't want you to feel sorry for me, because, I Believe everyone will die s= omeday but the most important thing here is that I am dying in the Lord. 
My name is Mrs.Mary Wilson I am a dying woman who have decided t= o donate What I have to you/ church/charity Organizations. I am 54 years ol= d and I was diagnosed with oesophageal Cancer for about 7 Years ago and now= I cannot hear and speak anymore, I am married to Sir Gerald Wilson Owen wh= o worked with British Judicial Commission in Chelsea England for over a dec= ade and also worked at the british consulate at Abidjan Cote d Ivoire = before he died on 5th of July in the year 1989. We were married for fiftee= n years without a child and he has left me everything he worked for.
&nb= sp;
I have not particularly lived my life so well, as I never really car= ed For anyone. Though I am very rich, I was never generous, I was always ho= stile to people and only focus on my self as that was the only thing I Care= d for.
 
But now I regret all this as I now know that there is m= ore to life than just wanting to have or make all the money in the world. I= believe when God gives me a second chance to come to this world I would li= ve my life a different way from how I have lived it. Now that I know My tim= e is near I have been touched by God to donate from what I have Inherited f= rom my late husband for the good work of God, rather than Allow my relative= s to use my husband hard earned funds ungodly.
 
Now that my hea= lth has deteriorated so badly, I cannot do this my self any more. I once as= ked members of my family to Close one of my accounts and donate the money, = which I have there to Charity organization in Bulgaria; they refused and ke= pt the money to themselves.  Hence, I do not trust them anymore, as th= ey seem not to be contended With what I have left for them. The last of my = money which is the huge Cash deposit of $3,000,000.00 Three Million United = States Dollars that I have with Financial Firm in Abidjan Cote D Ivoire. 
I will want you to Help me collect this deposit and dispatched i= t to charity organizations And let them know that it is me Mary Wilson that= is making this Generous donation.
 
I am writing this from my l= aptop computer in my hospital bed where I wait for my time to come. I pray = that God uses you to support and assist me with good heart Please pray that= the good Lord forgives me my sins. I have asked God to Forgive me and I be= lieve he has because He is a merciful God. I will be going in for an operat= ion in less than few days. I decided to WILL/donate the money to you for th= e good work of the lord, And also to help the motherless and less privilege= and also for the Assistance of the widows according to (JAMES 1:27).
&n= bsp;
I took this decision because I do not have any child that will inhe= rit this money and my husband relatives are not inclined to helping poor Pe= rsons and I do not want my husband's hard earned money to be misused Or spe= nt in the manner in which my late husband did not specify.  At the mom= ent I cannot take any telephone calls right now due to the Fact that I cann= ot talk or hear anymore.
 
I wish you All the best and May the g= ood Lord bless you abundantly, and please use The funds well and always ext= end the good work to others. please send me your reply to this my private e= mail address to enable me to give you instruction on what you have to do, m= wilson01@terra.com
 
Regards,
Mary Wilson Mrs.

<= br>

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