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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: "Deanna Garrad" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <degardanna@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2015 07:03:10 -0800
Subject: My beloved ( Mrs. Deanna Garrad )

My beloved,
 
Greetings in the name of our lord Jesus Christ. I am Mrs. Deanna Garrad ,  from  Bahrain base in Cote D’ivoire, a widow to  late Mr. Daniel Garrad. I am 51 years old ,and a converted  born again Christian, suffering from long time cancer of the breast, from all indication my condition is really deteriorating and it is quite obvious that i might not live more than two weeks, according to my doctor because the cancer has gotten to a very worst / dangerous stage.
 
My late husband and my only child died last three years ago, his death was politically motivated. My late husband was a very rich and wealthy business man who was running his cocoa / timber plantation business in Cote D'ivoire. After his death, i started managing all his business and wealth. My late husband deposited us$15.4 million dollars in a fix deposit account in one of the big bank in this country Cote D'iviore, he wanted to use the fund to expand his cocoa/ timber plantation business to other African countries before his sudden death.
 
This fund is still in this bank till today, now that my doctors has advised me that i may not live for more than two weeks because of sickness decided to donate the sum of us$15.4.000,000.00( fifteen million, four hundred thousand united states dollars) for humanitarian work of god because i cannot take this money to the grave.
 
I sincerely request for your assistance in this humanitarian work of god. I want to transfer the fund to your bank account so that you will use 80% of the fund to help the following people the in your country:
1, Motherless babies.
2, Widows.
3, Disable people.
4, To promote the word of god there in your country.
 
The 20% of the fund is for you and your family, if you will accept to do this humanitarian work of god. You will promised me that you will not disappoint me when the fund will be transferred to your bank account there in your country, and you will also assured me that you will use the 80% of the money for the said purpose, because i have come to find out that wealth acquisition without Christ is vanity.
 
Reply to me urgently if you are interested in this transaction because any delay to your response will give me a room to look for another reliable person for the same purpose, hoping to hear from you.
 
May the grace of our lord Jesus the love of god and the fellowship of god be with you and your family.
 
Thanks and God bless you.
Your beloved sister in Christ,
Mrs. Deanna Garrad.

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