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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: "Miss.Mary Coulibal" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <marycoulibalmc@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2019 18:13:30 -0500
Subject: Compliments of the day

My Dear,
Compliments of the day.

I am writing this mail to you with tears and sorrow from my heart. With due respect trust and humanity, I appeal to you to exercise a little patience and read through my letter. I am Miss. Mary A. Coulibal 24 years old female from the Republic of Ivory Coast, West Africa, am the daughter of late Chief Sgt. Warlord Ibrahim Coulibal (a.k.a General IB ). My late father was a well known Ivory Coast militia leader. He died on Thursday 28 April 2011 following a fight with the Republican Forces of Ivory Coast (FRCI). You can read more about my father in the link below.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/28/ivory-coast-renegade-warlord-ibrahim-coulibaly

I am constrained to contact you because of the maltreatment which I am receiving from my step mother. She planned to take away all my late father's treasury and properties from me since the unexpected death of my beloved Father. Meanwhile I wanted to travel out of Africa, but she hide my international passport and other valuable documents. Luckily she did not discover where I kept my father's file which contained important documents. Now I am presently staying in the mission in Ghana while I am seeking for long term relationship and investment assistance. My father of blessed memory deposited the sum of 19.5Million EUROS in one of the leading bank in United Kingdom with my name as the next of kin. I had contacted the Bank to claim the deposit but the bank manager told me that being a refugee, my status according to the local law does not authorize me to carry out the operation. However, he advised me to provide a trustee who will stand on my behalf. I had wanted to inform my step mother about this deposit bu

Please, I want you to stand as my trustee by providing an account details where the funds will be transferred pending my arrival for disbursement. My father's lawyer who assisted him in depositing the funds is also ready and willing to work with us in transferring the money to your account. Please, let me know if you are interested to help me. I will give you 35% of the total money for your assistance, and 5% for all the expenses that may be incurred during the transfer, please you will help me to invest the remaining 60% in any profitable venture which you will recommend to me as I have no any idea about foreign investment.

If you are interested to help me please send me your contact information such as; your full names, telephone and fax number, mobile phone, your home address, so that I will forward them to the bank where the money is deposited as the bank manager advised me to provide a trustee who will stand on my behalf to receive the money.

Thank you and God bless you!
Miss.Mary Coulibal
Reply to this email : marycoulibalmc@gmail.com

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