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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: MRS DORIS RED <shariful@sknetworks.com.bd>
Date: Sat, 04 Feb 2017 11:16:51 -0500
Subject: I DONATE THIS US$10 MILLION TO YOU FOR CHARITY WORK

Dear Friend,
Greetings in the name of God,Please let this not sound strange to you for
my only surviving lawyer who would have done this died early this year.
 
I prayed and got your email id from your country guestbook. I am Mrs Doris
Red from London,I am 58 years old,i am suffering from a long time cancer
of the lungs which also affected my brain.From all indication my
conditions is really deteriorating and it is quite obvious that, according
to my doctors they have advised me that i may not live for the next two
months,this is because the cancer stage has gotten to a very bad stage.
 
I was brought up from a motherless babies home was married to my late
husband for twenty years without a child,my husband died in a fatal motor
accident Before his death we were true believers.Since his death I decided
not to re-marry,I sold all my inherited belongings and deposited all the
sum of 10million dollars with a Bank.
 
Presently, this money is still with the bank and the management just wrote
me to come forward and claim my money because they have kept it for so
long or rather issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive
it on my behalf since I can not come over because of my illness or they
get it confiscated.
 
Presently, I'm with my laptop in a hospital here in Switzerland where I
have been undergoing treatment for cancer of the lungs. My doctors have
told me that I have only a few months to live.It is my last wish to see
that this money is invested to any organization of your choice and
distributed each year among the charity organization,the poor and the
motherless babies home.
 
I want you as God fearing person, to also use this money to fund
church,mosque, orphanages and widows,I took this decision, before i rest
in peace because my time will soon be up.
 
As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the Bank.I
will also issue you a letter of authority that will prove you as the new
beneficiary of my fund.
 
Provide me with your information so i can send it to the bank as the new
beneficiary and issue you a letter of authorization. FULL
NAMES:__________SEX: _____ AGE:______MARITAL
STATUS:_______________COUNTRY:______CONTACT ADDRESS:
________________________PHONE NO#___________FAX NO#__________
_______OCCUPATION:______________ PLEASE REPLY ME THROUGH
THIS MY PRIVATE mrsdorisred2017@hotmail.com  HOPING TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON,
AND ASSURE ME THAT YOU WILL ACT ACCORDINGLY AS I STATED HEREIN .
 
WAITING FOR YOUR REPLY.
 
YOURS IN CHRIST,
Mrs Doris Red

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