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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: Mail Delivery System <ac24391a@opayq.com>
Date: 11 May 2023 11:12:15 +0200
Subject: RE:Microsoft warning


Microsoft account
Unusual sign-in activity
We detected something unusual about a recent sign-in to the Microsoft account ac24391a@opayq.com
Sign-in details
Country/region: Canada
IP address: 216.151.184.161
Date: 5/11/2023 11:12:15 a.m. (GMT)
Platform: Windows
Browser: Chrome
Please go to your recent activity page to let us know whether or not this was you. If this wasn't you, we'll help you secure your account. If this was you, we'll trust similar activity in the future.
Review recent activity
To opt out or change where you receive security notifications,  click here.
Thanks,
The Microsoft account team

Anti-fraud resources: