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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:

=E2=80=8BDearest 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 Pa= ins so I decided to contact you through this medium. I got your Contact thr= ough a personal search via the internet.
 
As you read this, I d= on't want you to feel sorry for me, because, I Believe everyone will die so= meday 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 to= donate What I have to you/ church/charity Organizations. I am 54 years old= 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 who= worked with British Judicial Commission in Chelsea England for over a deca= de 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 everything he worked for.
&nbs= p;
I have not particularly lived my life so well, as I never really care= d For anyone. Though I am very rich, I was never generous, I was always hos= tile to people and only focus on my self as that was the only thing I Cared= for.
 
But now I regret all this as I now know that there is mo= re 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 liv= e my life a different way from how I have lived it. Now that I know My time= is near I have been touched by God to donate from what I have Inherited fr= om my late husband for the good work of God, rather than Allow my relatives= to use my husband hard earned funds ungodly.
 
Now that my heal= th has deteriorated so badly, I cannot do this my self any more. I once ask= ed members of my family to Close one of my accounts and donate the money, w= hich I have there to Charity organization in Bulgaria; they refused and kep= t the money to themselves.  Hence, I do not trust them anymore, as the= y seem not to be contended With what I have left for them. The last of my m= oney which is the huge Cash deposit of $2,000,000.00 Two Million United Sta= tes Dollars that I have with Financial Firm in Abidjan Cote D Ivoire.
&n= bsp;
I will want you to Help me collect this deposit and dispatched it t= o charity organizations And let them know that it is me Mary Wilson that is= making this Generous donation.
 
I am writing this from my lapt= op computer in my hospital bed where I wait for my time to come. I pray tha= t God uses you to support and assist me with good heart Please pray that th= e good Lord forgives me my sins. I have asked God to Forgive me and I belie= ve 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 g= ood work of the lord, And also to help the motherless and less privilege an= d 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 inclined to helping poor Perso= ns and I do not want my husband's hard earned money 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 due 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 please use The funds well and always extend= the good work to others. please send me your reply to this my private emai= l address to enable me to give you instruction on what you have to do, mwil= son01@terra.com
 
Regards,
Mary Wilson Mrs.

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