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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: xerox@anides.com
Reply-To: hoare.philp@gmail.com
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2015 17:53:56 +0000
Subject: DISTRIBUTION UPDATE.

Greetings, As a dedicated Christian and philanthropist, I am emailing you because I wish to donate towards charitable programs; such that care for the Poor, Victims, Sick and Disabled. I plan to donate US$3.5 Million for this purpose if only you can distribute it appropriately. I sincerely would appreciate a response at your convenience and bear in mind that 15% of the total amount is for your services.

Regards,
Roy Brealey
Retired Medical Doctor
Aberdeen, Scotland |
roy.brealey44@gmail.com
fdr.mathew@yahoo.co.uk

Anti-fraud resources: