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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: Mariam Ola <mariam_ola7@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2015 08:48:51 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: PLEASE HELP ME OUT PLEASE...


PLEASE HELP ME OUT PLEASE...
Hello Dear,
Please do not see my message as a disturbance to you as we have not met before. I am writing you this mail with deep sorrow of my mind and tears on my face.I  pray that as you receive my mail you will please have sympathy towards my situation. I speak French and English Language.  I am 21 Years old black girl born in Belgium and study in Belgium as well. My parent are both here in Belgium before they divorce.
I happen to be the only daughter of my parent. After the divorce of my mum & Dad, my father decided to leave to West Africa (Ivory Coast) where he originated from.Seven years after my father left to Africa, i lost my mum is a Car Accident and i was 15 years old then.After the death of my mum, life became hard for me and i have to struggle till i reach the age of 18 years. On this fateful day, i received a call from Africa and it happens to be my father, i explained my situation of things to him and how mum died in a car accident so he ask me to come down to Africa that he is seriously sick and is very important that i should come down
I thought over this then my mum's friends contributed some money for me then  i decided to traveled down to Africa.On my arrival to Africa, my father's relatives were so nice to me and happy to see me. After some hours,i was convey straight to the Hospital where my father was hospitalize and i hardly recognized him.He showed me the doctor report which stated that he was poisoned and he has few days to live.After three days of my stay in hospital, he confided to me that the reason he ask me to come home is because of his wealth and fund he deposited in the bank worth sum of USD8.500,000.00 (Eigth Million Five Hundred Thousand US Dollars) and he told me where i can get the entire document.
After some days, my father gave up then i realized that i am now a complete orphan.  After the burial of my father, my father's relatives that were nice to me now turn against me telling me that i don't belong to this family just because of properties. i tried to cope up with them but they went wide more towards me. Some says i should return back to Belgium and do prostitute while some says i should leave this house and look for a man to marry me as i am a female child and i don't have right to any property. What baffles me a lot is that they started fighting within themselves just because of the property but what i could do is to watch.Some months after the burial, i fell sick and no one cares to take me to the hospital and i almost die at home till i force myself to the hospital.
Before i came back from the hospital, they packed all the things in the house and sold the house to someone.On my arrival, i could not find my phone where i have the full contact of my friends and my late mum's friends in Belgium.Then i became stranded. Dear, my reason of writing you is to help me back to Belgium, i have already discovered the bank and i told them that i can not remain here in Africa and they told me to provide an account which i told them i will provide them an account from Belgium.
Please Dear, i really need your help.If you can help me, i am ready to compensate you with any amount,i am really suffering here.
I wait your respond
Mariam Toure


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