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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: "MARY JAMES" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <maryjameewoman@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 04:06:03 -0800
Subject: I WILL HELP.

DEAR SIR/MADAM,

My name is Mary James. am 75 yrs old of age and I stay in New York
City,New York SA. I am a good merchant, I have several industrial
companies and good share in various banks in the world. I spend all
my life on investment and corporate business. All the way I lost my
husband and two beautiful kids in fatal accident that occurred in
November the 2003.

I am a very greedy woman with all cost I don't know much and care
about people, since when I have an experience of my families death,
its difficult to sleep and give rest, later in the year 2004 February
I was sent a letter of medical check up, as my personal
doctor testify that I have a lung cancer, which can easily take off
my life soon. I
found it uneasy to survive myself, because a lot of investment
cannot be run and manage by me again. I quickly call up a
pastor/prophet to give me positive thinking on this solution as my
adviser. He minister to me to share my properties ,wealth, to
motherless
baby/orphanage homes/people that need money for survivor both
student that need money for schooling, business woman and man for
their investment and for future rising.So therefore I am writing
this letter to people who are really in need of help from me both
student in college to contact me urgently, so that I can make an available
preparation on that.

I also have a good loan master agent that I have discuss with to
release free loan offer to you which you don't need to pay the loan
back,cos it's a free loan master offer.Especially women of the day,
who are divorced by their husband, who cannot survive the mist of
feeding their self, please contact me and stop weeping. Probably let
me now what you really need the money for and if you can still help
me to distribute money to nearest orphanage homes near your
town.Now am so much with God, am now born again. May the lord bless
you as you reach me, please to remind you, don't belongs to scammers
or
any act of fraud lent on Internet.

I will give more information to you as I await your response
immediately.

Best Regards,
Mrs.Mary James

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