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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: "charles@mail.com" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <charleswilliams19778@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2015 09:36:29 +0100
Subject: Please assist me to save my only child

Greetings, Please assist me to save my only child I write to seek your services in a private and confidential matter regarding an unaccounted fund in our bank here in Ghana during the last 2012 business year. As operation regional manager, I deposited this fund in an ESCROW CALL ACCOUNT at our headquarters pending when I shall get a reliable person.Am happy because this transaction is 100% risky free, This requires a private arrangement.Could you perhaps be able to receive these funds under legal claims then I will file you in. I will appreciate for fewer questions asked and your participation reward will be 30% of the total money. There are practically no risks involved, the transaction will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you and me from any breach of the law, it will be simply a bank to bank transfer. I have all the details and will file you in if you are really willing.Your major role would be to provide an existing bank account or open a new bank account where the funds will be transferred and stand as the original depositor of this fund in our bank, as long as you will remain honest to me till the end for this important business, trusting in you and believing that you will never let me down either now or in future. At this juncture, I wish to tell you what prompted me to package this deal. I have my only 9years old daughter who has leukemia disease, a disease of the blood, and she needs a bone marrow transplant or she will die. I want this transplanting to be done in any good children's hospital in your Country, if there is one. Once this fund is transferred into your bank account, I shall resign from my job and bring my child to start a new life in your country. The funds in question are quite large, Three million five hundred thousand United States of America Dollars ($3,500,000.00) I will expect a straight answer from you. If yes, please get back to me so that we can work out the modalities without further delay. Reply to my email address with your full name, telephone number and country address. With best regards, From Mr. Charles Williams

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