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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: "Ms Dora Bright" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <dorabright@outlook.com>
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 12:10:02 +0100
Subject: CAN YOU BE OF HELP? PLS RESPOND URGENT

My Dearest
 
Thank you very much for accepting and extending your hands of
friendship to me as one of your friend via my search. I am Miss Dora
Bright by name and i am 18 yrs old. I hale from Johannesburg in
South Africa.
 
I need someone to trust for some confidential issues concerning my
life and my future which i want to relate to you but i feel it is too
early for that now because i haven't known much about you. I need
someone that has the fear of God. I mean someone who cannot mortgage
his or her conscience neither for gold nor silver.
 
Please, with all due respect, Can i trust and confide in you? Let me
know. Attached are copies of my pics and i look forward to hear from
you.
Do take care of yourself and have a wonderful day.
Ms Dora Bright.

Anti-fraud resources: