419 scam: =?UTF-8?Q?Mrs=2e_Stella_Horsford?= <stella49@inbox.lv> =?UTF-8?Q?Greetings=21=21=21?=

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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:

The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "a security company " (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "million dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "god fearing " (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: =?UTF-8?Q?Mrs=2e_Stella_Horsford?= <stella49@inbox.lv>
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 2015 07:17:59 -0400
Subject: =?UTF-8?Q?Greetings=21=21=21?=

Dear Friend,

Greetings to you in the name of God, My name is Mrs. Stella Horsford, the wife to late Mr. James Horsford, an expatriate consultant engineer with the Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC).

My husband died in the year 2002 during the Ikeja bomb blast. Shortly before his death my late husband deposited the sum of USD$8.4Million Dollars in a Security Company in Spain for safe keeping. It was the money he realized from the turn around maintenance of the Kaduna refinery. As his wife I was privileged to be the next of kin/beneficiary to the fund because our marriage was not blessed with children.

I am a 42 year old woman with a serious cancer disease, and my doctor said that I won't be able to live longer than three months from now. I do not have anybody or family members to inherit this money after my death. Based on this, I have vowed to myself and to my God to donate this money to charity.

I am looking for a God fearing and reliable person from any religion and country who will claim this deposited funds before I die and use it to help the orphanage homes and hospitals after I have departed from this world.

I am therefore soliciting for your assistance to claim this money and use it as stipulated above. I am willing to give you 40% percent for your assistance and the remaining 60% will be for charity and hospitals. Please get back to me as soon as possible so that I can furnish you with further details of my plan.

Yours Faithfully,
Mrs. Stella Horsford.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam