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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: <changhs@moreatonce.com>
Date: 14 Mar 2023 21:57:26 -0500
Subject: =?UTF-8?B?SGV5LCB3aGF0J3MgdXA/?=


=
body{background-color:#f9f9f9;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px=
;line-height:1.6;color:#333;padding:20px}h1{font-size:24px;line-height:1.=
2;color:#000;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:20px;text-align:center;text-trans=
form:uppercase;letter-spacing:2px}p{margin-top:0;margin-bottom:20px;text-=
align:justify}.highlight{background-color:#ffc107;color:#000;font-weight:=
700;padding:5px;border-radius:5px}
Greetings. I am the one who has infiltrated your system and accessed =
your private information and camera.You may wonder why I chose you as my =
target. The truth is, I am a professional hacker who develops and tests =
exploits in the wild. I saw that you fit the criteria of a potential =
target who could afford to pay and had indulged in some questionable =
online activities.Using my expertise, I discovered a vulnerability in =
your system and exploited it using a zero-day technique. This type of =
exploit takes advantage of software vulnerabilities that are unknown to =
the developer, giving me complete access to your computer. With a packet =
sniffer, I was able to intercept your browsing history and found =
evidence of your involvement in adult content. From there, it was a =
simple matter to create a compromising video of you that I can use to =
blackmail you if necessary.As a hacker, I know the value of zero-day =
exploits and how they can be used to gain access to sensitive =
information. In your case, I used this technique to gain control of your =
entire digital life. I inserted bookmarks into your system and monitored =
all the traffic going in and out of your computer.I am willing to offer =
you a deal to resolve this situation. If you make the right decision, I =
will delete all the content that I have and the bookmarks that I =
inserted into your system. However, if you choose not to cooperate with =
me, I will take further action. I am a dedicated individual with =
obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, so I can assure you that I =
will follow through on my threats.My ultimate goal is to get paid for my =
work, and once I receive the payment, we will both go our separate ways. =
But time is running out, and the deal that I offer will expire in just a =
few days. You have until the weekend to make a payment of 1500 USD worth =
of Bitcoin to my account =
below.1GHvoN1jiuArcGBByVMnCtDWyJjyJWemeERemember that this situation can =
become more costly for you if you make the wrong decision. If you refuse =
to cooperate, I will release the compromising video that I have created, =
and the shame that you have brought upon yourself will be public for all =
to see. The choice is yours, but I strongly advise you to make the right =
one.

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