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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: "Wafa Alhalabi" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <fedex_mrcharliebill@hotmail.co.uk>
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2015 18:31:31 -0500
Subject: Salaam Allaikkum

Salaam Allaikkum,
may Allah grant you peace and happiness as you read this letter. Let me first share with you few things about myself, my name is Madam Wafa Alhalabi Adel, i was born on the 25th May 1980. I am one of the Syrians refugees in Ain Al Hilwe Refugee camp closed to Lebanon under UNHCR which is host by United Kingdom. That is where i am contacting you from. I have a diploma degree in English language and literature but my late husband didn’t allow me to work, i have no child yet because Allah has not given us yet, we were even planning to adopt a child before the civil war in Syria started. Since the war started in my country, everyone began to run for safety and that made many Syrian homeless to become refugees in foreign country. I lost all my properties including my passport and some important documents in the process. We were taken from the border into Lebanon by the mercy of Allah. The border was no longer safe for us especially we as women, I was rapped and abused twice, I see people die every
My father is from Syria and my mother from Tartus governorate, i lost my mother 12 years ago, she died of cancer and my father few years back a year after the Civil war began. My late husband was a good Syrian and a successful business man who was against the regime of President Bashar Assad. He was a gold dealer who own one of the biggest gold shop in Damascus. He lost his life in the conflicts, his gold shop was attacked by rebels and he was robbed and in that process he was short dead while trying to stop them, it was a bitter experienced for me and I pray that Allah rest his soul in peace until we meet again.

Actually the reason why i contacted you because I am searching for an outside help or a partner who I can trust that will help me receive my luggage’s from the United Nations diplomatic warehouse storage facility and secure it for me.
I will be happy to hear from you as soon as you can because these are an urgent need.
Email: wafa.alhalabi555@gmail.com
INSHA ALLAH
Your sister Wafa

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