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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: Stephenie Coulibally <stephc122@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <stephenie4private@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 23 May 2015 15:26:41 +0000
Subject: Business proposal.


My Dearest, Please help me,
Please permit me to introduce myself, I am Ms.Stephenie Ibrahim Coulibaly 19 years of age girl Ivory Coast, West Africa, I'm the Daughter of Late Sgt. Ibrahim Coulibaly, My late Father was a well known Ivory Coast military leader. He died on Thursday 28 April 2011 following a fight with the Republican Forces of Ivory Coast (FRCI).
You can read more about my father in the link below:http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/28/ivory-coast-renegade-warlord-ibrahim-coulibaly
I am constrained to contact you because of the maltreatment which I am receiving from my step mother.Presently,She has succeeded in taking away all my late father's properties since the unexpected death of my dad because my mother is late and i was her only child so i have nobody to fight for me. Meanwhile I wanted to travel to Europe, but she collected all my traveling documents and sent them ablaze. Luckily to me she did not discover where I kept my father's File which contained important documents of the fund he deposited in one of the banks in Accra,Ghana(Neighboring country) which bears my name as the next of kin to inherit the money. Now I am presently staying in the Refugee Mission Camp here in Accra, Ghana for the claim of my inheritance.
I have contacted the Bank to grant me access to the money but the Branch Manager told me that my late father place an instruction on the deposited fund that It be transferred to his foreign investment partner for an onward investment but unfortunately my dad could not introduce his partner before he died,the manager advised me to provide a trusted foreigner who will stand on my behalf for the transfer of the fund as my late father's partner. This is why i decide to seek for your sincere and noble assistance towards to the claim of my inheritance money to your bank account while I will relocate to your country and settle down with you.
Upon my receipt of your positive response we will discuss about your compensation amount and way forward.
Thanks in anticipation of your positive response.
Yours sincerelyMs.Stephenie

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