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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: Judith David Menegon <juddyhappy1997@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2023 15:44:49 -0700
Subject: DEAR, HAPPY NEW MONTH TO YOU, GOD BE WITH YOU, JUDITH

Good evening dear,

May God be with you and your family. I pray. I apologize for any
inconvenience this email may cause you, but even though I have never met
you, I believe that it takes courage to confide in someone in order to
succeed in life.

I am Judith David Menegon from Massachusetts. Impaired. In 2011 after a
brief illness and death of my late husband David, a veteran engineer with
Sinopec (China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation) in the United Kingdom, I
moved back to Manhattan here in New York as I became very sick too.

My late husband left $16 million after his brief illness and death which
I deposited with the bank currently in Gresham, London. I decided that the
money be used for humanitarian purposes to aid orphans, widows, stateless
people, the homeless, the needy, abused women, the religious community, and
defenseless families affected by the Russian-Ukrainian war.

I am 88 years old and my critically ill health condition prevents me from
doing anything and this is why I need your help. If one has money but can't
help those who are less fortunate, what use is money? When there are so
many people who are hungry, ill, abused, homeless, crippled and widows. It
is my desire and also David's death wish that the funds be used for
humanitarian purposes so I need someone reliable to help me carry out this
task. If you can assist me in carrying out God's works for the
underprivileged in various societies, I will be content and able to die in
peace and rest next to my husband. When you receive the money, you are
permitted to take as much as you need to address your personal issues, pay
bills and taxes, support your family and use the rest for humanitarian
purposes.

I will not be present when you receive the funds but I hope you understand
that God and David's spirit are watching you and would be disappointed if
you received the funds but refuse to use some for charitable purposes. My
only concern is that you carry out God's plan for humanity, as David's
final wish was. This is all I wish for and I can die in peace if this is
done. I have all the necessary documents and I can forward them to you.

May God continue to bless you and your family, I can't thank you enough. My
best wishes to your family, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Judith.

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