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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: "Mr Jose Peterson" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <josepetersongospel20202@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 1 Jun 2017 01:06:52 -0700
Subject: DEAR FRIEND CAN I TRUST YOU !!

I am Mr. Jose Peterson, a great citizen of the United States of America, and I was born in Los Angeles, California. I bring to you a proposal, and I need your help. It is painful now to let you know that I have been suffering from a heart disease for the past twelve years and just a few weeks ago my doctors notified me that I will not live more than five months. I want you to help me distribute some funds I kept aside for charity purposes. I wish to give these funds to charity homes and the poor in your state.
 
Please email josepetersongospel20202@gmail.com or text me on (918)-553-8313 I will fill you in with more details. You will be paid for rendering this service.
 
Sincerely,
Jose Peterson

Anti-fraud resources: