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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: aware@performanceptri.com
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 2015 21:10:12 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [PayPal] : Warning We've Limited Access To Your Account !

PayPal
You Are Almost Finish Confirm Your Account ... View Online
Your Account Will Be Closed
Dear customer, Your Account Will Be Closed , Until We Here From You . To Update Your Information . Simply click on the web address below
Confirm My Account Now
Confirm My Account Now
Confirm My Account Now
Once you add a payment method, shop easier at millions of great retailers like the ones below.
ebay Walmart overstock.com BestBuy
Account Help Fees Security Apps Shop
Third-party merchant offers are subject to additional terms. See merchant's websites for additional terms. All offers are subject to change at any time without notice.

The link will expire 24 hours after this email was sent. Please do not reply to this email. We are unable to respond to inquiries sent to this address. For immediate answers to your questions, visit our Help Center by clicking "Help" located on any PayPal page or email.

Copyright � 2015 PayPal, Inc. All rights reserved. PayPal is located at 2211 N. First St., San Jose, CA 95131.

Anti-fraud resources: