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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: Michael Miller <knnthng1@gmail.com>
Reply-To: onemimi9@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 27 May 2014 13:07:00 +0200
Subject: Greetings, I have an interest of investing in your country


Hello Dear,

Compliments of the season! However, as you know, I am Michael Miller, U.S.
Army Corps of engineers in Iraq. CSM, I held International Security
Assistance Force, U.S. Force Afghanistan and a United States Marine Corps.
The reason why I am explaining my findings to you are to seek for your
assistance to enable you contributes immensely to the actualization of my
dream. I am disclosing this to you as my spirit led me to you and my
friendship with you is sure, as I hope that we build a mutual trust and
expanding our relationship. I have bestowed my trust on you, hoping that
you will protect my interest. However, I am already convinced in you by
doing business with you and it’s true that I have not meet you or transact
any business with you but I have hope, pray and dream to work with a
reliable person and to invest as well through a reliable source.

To make a long story short, I and my group of men under my supervision were
alerted on the need of some urgent reconstruction works in Haifa Street, a
long thoroughfare of high-rise buildings built and occupied by Saddam
Hussein when he was alive here in Baghdad. Immediately we proceeded to the
site and as we commence work to our utmost surprise we discovered a huge
underground bunker in one of the buildings. Upon investigation of the
bunker to our surprise we discovered one very lager box safely hidden and
sealed together with numerous other boxes filled with different item.
However, I was attracted to the large box which was the only sealed box of
them all, I told my men to open the box in order to find out the contents
and when they were opened to our amazement the boxes contained US Dollars
which amounted to $46M after time was taken to count them in bundles and
rolls.

I however instructed them to keep this in high secrecy so that we can have
the money to ourselves, they all agreed to the plan, I wisely took the
decision for us to share the money between ourselves right there in the
room to avoid suspicion in moving the very large box and that led me to
having US$7.2 Million (US$7,200,000.00) as my own share and this money has
been kept somewhere outside Baghdad for sometime but with the proposed
troop reduction by president Obama, we are afraid that the money will be
discovered hence I want to move this money to you for safe keeping pending
the completion of our assignment here.

I am now in desperate need of a “Reliable and Trustworthy” person who will
receive, secure and protect this box containing the US Dollars for me up on
till my assignment elapses here. I cannot leave the box here in Iraq like
most of my men have foolishly done due to many reasons one of which is
because Iraq is getting unsafe and dangerous everyday and a full blown
civil war among Shiites and Sunni Iraqis may start any moment as we are
planning this withdrawal. I assure and promise to give you 10% of this
fund, however feel free to negotiate what you wish to have as your
percentage in this deal. Please assure me of your keeping this topmost
secret within you so that my job would not be jeopardized.

My Sincere regards,
Michael Miller (CSM)

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