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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: Richard Mario Carlos <newsletter@wowtv.co.kr>
Reply-To: <richardmariocarlos@aol.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 22:59:22 +0300
Subject: Greetings from Richard Mario Carlos

Greetings from Richard Mario Carlos
 
I have being trying to reach you for a while now without success, I do not know if you received all the emails I sent you? I am an American I work with a financial institution.
 
I have the opportunity of transferring a substantial amount of money to you,The money was deposited in our bank a few years back by a wealthy contractor who is now deceased and fortunately you have the same LASTNAME with the depositor. Considering the fact that the depositor has no traceable relative who will eventually apply for the claim, I decided to contact you so that you can apply for claim "WITH MY ASSISTANCE" and take custody of the funds for our mutual benefit. I will not mention the amount of money which runs into millions of US Dollars presently neither will I mention the name of the bank I work with,until I am sure you have agreed to the deal. I trust you will understand the need for such precautions.
 
Please note; in 2001, I succeeded in claiming million from the same bank with the help of a Russian, but by the time I went to receive my share of the money from him 2 days after the money was released into his account,he had changed his home address and moved out of his residence and till date, I still regret accepting him as my partner. But because it's a deal and confidential matter, I can't seek legal action against him or even inform the authorities. So to ensure that I do not make the same mistake I made in 2001, I will have to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with you before we can proceed with the deal.
 
I AM READY TO PROVE MY IDENTITY TO YOU AND THE REALITY OF THE DEAL WITH VERIFIABLE DOCUMENTS.AM SURE OF SUCCESS IN THIS DEAL BECAUSE I HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE. For more details, here is my direct contact email:mariocarlosassociado@yahoo.es
 
Thank you in anticipation as I wait to receive your response.
 
Mr.Richard Mario Carlos
Email:
El Paso County, Texas, United States

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