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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: mwilson1@terra.com
Date:
Subject:

Dearest Beloved,

After going through your pro= file I decided to contact you for friendship and assistance and distributio= n of my inheritances have to say that I have no intentions of causing you a= ny Pains so I decided to contact you through this medium. I got your Contac= t through a personal search via the internet.

As y= ou read this, I don't want you to feel sorry for me, because, I Believe eve= ryone will die someday but the most important thing here is that I am dying= in the Lord.

My name is Mrs.Mary Wilson I am a dy= ing woman who have decided to donate What I have to you/ church/charity Org= anizations. I am 54 years old and I was diagnosed with oesophageal Cancer f= or about 7 Years ago and now I cannot hear and speak anymore, I am married = to Sir Gerald Wilson Owen who worked with British Judicial Commission in Ch= elsea England for over a decade 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 fifteen years without a child and he has left me ever= ything he worked for.

I have not particularly live= d my life so well, as I never really cared For anyone. Though I am very ric= h, I was never generous, I was always hostile to people and only focus on m= y self as that was the only thing I Cared for.

But= now I regret all this as I now know that there is more to life than just w= anting 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 live my life a different = way from how I have lived it. Now that I know My time is near I have been t= ouched by God to donate from what I have Inherited from my late husband for= the good work of God, rather than Allow my relatives to use my husband har= d earned funds ungodly.

Now that my health has det= eriorated so badly, I cannot do this my self any more. I once asked members= of my family to Close one of my accounts and donate the money, which I hav= e there to Charity organization in Bulgaria; they refused and kept the mone= y to themselves.  Hence, I do not trust them anymore, as they 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 Doll= ars that I have with Financial Firm in Abidjan Cote D Ivoire.
I will want you to Help me collect this deposit and dispatched = it to charity organizations And let them know that it is me Mary Wilson tha= t is making this Generous donation.

I am writing t= his from my laptop 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 Ple= ase pray that the good Lord forgives me my sins. I have asked God to Forgiv= e me and I believe he has because He is a merciful God. I will be going in = for an operation in less than few days. I decided to WILL/donate the money = to you for the good work of the lord, And also to help the motherless and l= ess privilege and also for the Assistance of the widows according to (JAMES= 1:27).

I took this decision because I do not have= any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not in= clined to helping poor Persons and I do not want my husband's hard earned m= oney to be misused Or spent in the manner in which my late husband did not = specify.  At the moment I cannot take any telephone calls right now du= e to the Fact that I cannot talk or hear anymore.

= I wish you All the best and May the good Lord bless you abundantly, and ple= ase use The funds well and always extend the good work to others. please se= nd me your reply to this my private email address to enable me to give you = instruction on what you have to do, mwilson01@terra.com

Regards,
Mary Wilson Mrs.



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