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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: "Mark Marrano" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <marranomarks@yeah.net>
Date: Thu, 28 Jul 2016 12:08:41 -0400
Subject: Re: Treat Urgently Please

Hello dear, How are you doing, I have been trying to contact you for quite a while, thank God you later got my email. Well, I have a serious business I want us to run together, I know you are trust worthy and I can confide in you. This involves huge sum of money which I want to invest in your country. I would really need your assistance so that we can execute it well enough. And you would be the one to manage the business since am the only son of my late parents they left the inheritance but my relations are fighting to eliminate me and take the will to engulf only by themselves. If you can handle this with trust worthiness and promise not to let me down and keep this between only you and I, then I will explain in details, and you would provide your banking details so that my attorney would sign to enable my account officer to transfer the funds to your account as my partner in business and for the purpose of investment only, so that I could still re-establish my family business in future with it. Yours Truely, Marrano Marks. Email: marranomarks@yeah.net

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