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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: lizr@qchron.com
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2017 08:38:39 +0200 (SAST)
Subject: Reminder : We've noticed some unusual activity on your PayPal account

 PayPal


Dear Customer,

Remember, you still need to take action to restore your PayPal account. Until you do, your account will be limited. 

What's going on?

We've noticed some unusual activity on your PayPal account and we're concerned about potential unauthorised account access. 

What to do next

Please log in to your PayPal account and complete the steps to confirm your identity and your recent account activity. To help protect your account, your account will remain limited until you complete the necessary steps. 

The security of your PayPal account is a top priority for us and we want to work together to help protect it. 

If you need help or have any questions, call us for free on 0800 358 7911. We're open from 8am to 9pm Monday to Friday, from 8am to 9pm on Saturday and from 9am to 9pm on Sunday.

Continue

Yours sincerely,
PayPal

Copyright © 1999-2017 PayPal. All rights reserved.

PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. et Cie, S.C.A. Société en Commandite par Actions Registered Office: 22-24 Boulevard Royal L-2449, Luxembourg RCS Luxembourg B 118 349

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Anti-fraud resources: