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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: "LAURENT AHOUA" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <laurentahoua1988@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2017 19:37:47 -0800
Subject: Good Afternoon,

FROM: LAURENT AHOUA
ABIDJAN, COTE D' IVOIRE WEST AFRICA.
EMAIL: LAURENTAHOUA1988@GMAIL.COM

DEAR SIR,

PLEASE PERMIT ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF TO YOU, I AM LAURENT AHOUA NATIONALITY OF COTE D’IVOIRE AND I AM 19 YEARS OLD SON OF MR AHOUA DON MELLO AND I WAS STUDYING MARKETING IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN THE UNIVERSITY HERE IN ABIDJAN THE CAPITAL STATE OF COTE D’IVOIRE BEFORE MY FATHER WAS ARRESTED FEW YEARS AGO DUE TO THE POLITICAL CRISIS THAT TOOK HERE IN MY COUNTRY COTE D’IVOIRE.

MY FATHER WAS ONE OF THE DIRECTORS OF CABINET UNDER THE FORMER PRESIDENT LAURENT GBAGBO GOVERNMENT AND IT IS MY DESIRE TO WRITE YOU THIS LETTER FROM MY HEART HOPING THAT YOU WILL NOT BETRAY OR CHEAT ME BECAUSE MY FATHER DIVERTED SOME HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY WHICH HE DEPOSITED HERE WITH TRUNK BOX WITH ONE OF THE SECURITY COMPANY HERE IN DUBAI UNITED ARAB EMIRATE WHEN HE WAS STILL IN GOVERNMENT BUT NOW MY FATHER IS DEATH MAY HIS GENTLE SOUL REST IN PEACE.

IN FACT IN A BRIEF INTRODUCTION ALL THE INFORMATION CONCERNING THE DEPOSITED TRUNK BANK THAT IS CONTAINING THE MONEY IS WITH ME AND IT THEY WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU WHENEVER I HEAR FROM YOU AND YOUR INTEREST IN ASSISTING ME.

THIS MONEY IS TOTALING THE SUM OF US30,000,000.00(THIRTY MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS) AND NOW I AM SEEKING FOR A TRUTHFUL AND TRUST WORTHY SOMEONE WHO WILL ASSIST ME IN CONTACTING THE SECURITY COMPANY WHERE MY FATHER DEPOSITED THE TRUNK BOX THAT IS CONTAINING THE MONEY IN DUBAI, SO THAT THE SECURITY COMPANY WILL RELEASE THE TRUNK BOX THAT IS CONTAINING THE MONEY ON HIS BEHALF FOR ONWARD INVESTMENT IN ANY COUNTRY OF YOUR CHOICE BECAUSE I AM WILL BE INTRODUCING YOU TO THE SECURITY COMPANY DIRECTOR OF OPERATION AS MY LATE FATHER’S BUSINESS PARTNER WHOM HE DEPOSITED THE TRUNK BOX ON HIS BEHALF.

HOWEVER, WHAT I NEEDED FROM YOU IS YOUR GOOD TRUST AND ASSISTANCE IN HELPING ME TO SEE THAT THE TRUNK BOX THAT CONTAINING THE MONEY IS BEING RELEASED, SINCE I AM STILL INEXPERIENCE IN BUSINESS INVESTMENT.

THIS IS THE MAYOR REASON WHY I AM PLEADING FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND ALL THE DOCUMENTS CONCERNING TO THE DEPOSIT TRUNK BOX WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU
FOR YOUR VERIFICATION.

I REALLY NEED YOUR ASSISTANCE TO SEE THAT THE TRUNK BOX THAT IS CONTAINING THE MONEY IS BEING MOVED OUT OF FROM DUBAI AND I HAVE DECIDED TO OFFER YOU 20% OF THE TOTAL SUM FOR YOUR KIND ASSISTANCE AND I WILL ALSO GIVE YOU 3% FOR ANY EXPENSES THAT YOU WILL MAKE WHEN DURING THE TIME YOU ARE ASSISTING ME.

THE WORLD IS FULL OF BAD PEOPLE AND PLEASE CAN YOU PROVE YOUR GENIALITY TO ME SO THAT I WILL HAVE YOU AS A PARTNER AND SORRY I AM NOT SAYING YOU ARE BAD SOMEONE BUT CONSIDER THAT THIS IS MONEY ISSUE AND HOW THE MONEY WAS GOTTEN.

IT IS IN INHERITANCE AND ALSO THE LAST HOPE OF MY FUTURE SO KINDLY SHOW ME YOUR INTEREST AND I WILL PROCEED WITH THE NEXT STEP OF ACTION DUBAI IS NO LONGER CONDUCIVE FOR ME TO LEAVE THE TRUNK BOX THERE.

MY WARMEST REGARDS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY,

LAURENT AHOUA

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