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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: "Kenneth Williams" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <ken.williams2016@yandex.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2016 06:49:35 -0500
Subject: Help me!

From: Kenneth Williams.
Sir/Madam

Don't be surprised to receive this letter from me since you don't know me in person, i saw your profile through international website directory and i decided to call on you for this purpose. My name is Kenneth Williams and my younger sister Juliet Williams.We are the only two children of late chief Gen. Alexander Williams.and Mrs Theresa Onome Williams. My father was a highly reputable cocoa and gold merchant also has shipping company. He was a business man who operated in the capital cities of Burkina Faso ,Cote D'voire and the republic of Liberia during his days.My father decided to face this business after his retirement from the army in 1995.

It is sad to say that he passed away mysteriously in Liberia civil war during one of his business trips abroad on the 12th September 2004. Though his sudden death was linked or rather suspected to have been masterminded by an uncle of his who traveled with him at that time. But God knows the truth..

After his death,our uncle who was suspected to be responsible for our father's death started pursuing my mother in other to take our father's wealth. Because of this our mother called me to inform me that my father has the sum of Eighteen Million United State Dollars.(US$18,000,000.00) in his foreign account in Cotonou Benin Republic. She further told me that in case she died that i should know that my father deposited the money with my name as his next of kin since i am his only son and also gave me all the necessary legal documents that back up the fund with the bank.

Our mother having encountered all this problem with our uncle decided and take me and my sister to Cotonou Benin Republic were this money was deposited by our late father. As a result of the sudden death of our father and all the problem that our mother was having with our bad uncle,on our arrival to Cotonou, our mother started developing hypertension which caused her death.Now i and my younger sister are alone in this country Cotonou without any body to care for us. Since our bad uncle is after our lives, we decided that we can not go back to our country again as our mother is not there for us again.

I am 22 years old and a university undergraduate and really don't know what to do here in this country. with due respect ,i am contacting you to seek your good assistance to help me claim and receive this money in your private bank account in any part of the world where this funds can be transferred to.And after the transfer you can help us to invest this money in any profitable business venture in your country as we will be happy to live with you as one family. I will also want you to make arrangement for me and my younger sister Juliet to come over to your country in other to further our university education and to secure a residential permit for us in your country. The death of my parent's actually has just brought sorrow to our life's

Moreover,I will also like to invest the fund under your care because I am ignorant of business world. Meanwhile, I am willing to offer you 20% of the total sum as compensation for your assistance in the transfer of this deposit to your country. Immediately I confirm your willingness, I will inform you more details involved in this transfer.

Thanks and hoping to hear from you soonest.

sincerely your's

Kenneth Williams

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