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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: "Gary Bitz" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <garyjbitz5@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 20 Aug 2022 08:18:38 -0500
Subject: Urgent From Mr. Gary J Bitz 112R

Urgent Attention,

I am Gary Bitz., I want to make sure that you are the one receiving this letter before I can reveal any important information to you, I want you to verify that your email address is still valid and accessed by you,

As soon as I receive your response, I will proceed and deliver the vital information to you. I am taking this

precautionary measure to prevent this important information from falling into the wrong hands due to how sensitive it is.

Please contact me through this email: garyjbitz5@gmail.com

Best Regards,
Gary Bitz.

Anti-fraud resources: