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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: Dominique Thomas Biffle <nagt.m57@gmail.com>
Reply-To: domtom_biffle@hotmail.com
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2023 06:49:34 -0700
Subject: I was compelled to write you under a humanitarian ground.

--
With warm hearts I offer my friendship and my greetings.

I was compelled to write you under a humanitarian ground.

With due respect and humility, I’m sincerely seeking your confidence
in this matter which I am about to propose with my free mind and as a
woman of integrity.

My name is Mrs. Dominique Thomas, I am 67 years old widow, I am
terminally ill, suffering from long time cancerous tumors, but now
undergoing medical treatment. And from all indications my condition is
really deteriorating and my doctors have courageously advised me that
I may not live all that long; this is because the cancer has reached a
critical stage.

I have some funds I inherited from my late loving husband, which he
deposited in a bank in Europe. I have decided to donate the funds for
a charity project in your town. Because, I shall be undergoing major
operations in less than two weeks from now, and my doctor have said in
confident that I only have 35% chance to survive these operations, due
to my critical stage of the cancer.

I took this decision, since I don't have any child that will inherit
this fund, and I don't want in a way my late husband’s hard earned
money will be misused.

If you assure me that you will use the fund for the intend purpose, my
heart will be at peace. I don’t know though, but I believe that God
Almighty will work through you, because, it is usually through someone
else that he meets our needs, charitable and indulgent to everyone.

I await your response.

Yours truly,
Dominique Thomas
Email:dominique.thomas000011@gmail.com

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