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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: "Krzysztof Bil" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <krzysztof.bil@aol.com>
Date: Sat, 29 Dec 2018 03:02:36 -0800
Subject: I NEED YOUR HELP THANK YOU.

Hello Dear,
 
My names are Krzysztof Bil, I am a United States Army officer on a peace keeping mission in SYRIA. I am a widower of 48
 
years of age.
 
I have been in this mission for almost three years now and i am left with less than one month to return. Something great
 
happened in this mission which is one of the reasons why i have decided to contact you:
 
During our operation we had a confrontation with the SYRIA talibans in there hideout, at the end of lasted shootout we
 
were able to maneuver them and discovered in their hideout lots of dangerous weapons and huge amount of money in US
 
dollars. We took the money and shared it among the officers that went for the operation after which I got fifteen
 
million,dollars ($USD 15 000,000) as my own share...
 
Now my only problem is that the money is not safe here in the camp as no one knows when the talibans may strike back. All
 
the banks here in SYRIA are closed down and no one can make any bank to bank transfer outside SYRIA...this is a very
 
difficult situation for me here, i thought about the positive impact this money will make in my life when i leave the camp
 
and i took it.
 
Hence i need your help to safeguard this money for me until i return from this mission in less than one month, i am
 
offering you fifty per cent (50%) of the total money if you accept my proposal. I took my time to conceal the money in a
 
Trunk box covered with my personal effects.
 
I'm writing you because i don't have the time to think of who to trust as i don't have anybody out there to share my
 
secrets with, my instinct tells me that you can handle it for me. It may be a start for better relationship between us, we
 
never can tell what tomorrow holds.Please let me have your consent if you are willing to handle it for me so that i can
 
arrange on how to lift it out from here to your country.
 
contact me via my private email ( krzysztof.bil@aol.com )

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