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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: Melissa Dogwo <melissadogwo@rogers.com>
Reply-To: melissa_dogwo1@live.fr
Date: Fri, 14 May 2010 18:18:06 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Dear One,







Dear One,
I have contacted you after going through your profile, I prayed over it and selected your name among other names due to its esteeming nature and the recommendations given to me as a reputable and trust worthy person that I can do business with and by the recommendation, I must not hesitate to confide in you for this simple and sincere business.
  I am Miss Melissa Dogwo the only child of late Mr. and Mrs. Williams Dogwo. My late father was a very wealthy cocoa and gold merchant in Abidjan; the economic capital of Ivory Coast, my father was poisoned to death by his business associates on one of their outings on a business trip. My mother died when I was a baby and since then my father took me so special. Before the death of my father in a private hospital here in Abidjan he secretly called me on his bed side and told me that he has the sum of eleven million Five hundred thousand United State Dollars. USD ($11,500,000.00) left in fixed / suspense account in one of the prime bank here in Abidjan, that he used my name as his only child for the next of Kin in depositing of the fund. He also explained to me that it was because of this wealth that he was poisoned by his business associates That I should seek for a foreign partner in a country of my choice where I will transfer this money and use it
for investment purpose such as real estate management or hotel management .
 
Dear, I am honourably seeking your assistance in the following ways: (1) to provide a bank account into which this money would be transferred to. (2) To serve as a guardian of this fund since I am only 19years. (3) To make arrangement for me to come over to your country to further my education and to secure a resident permit in your country. Moreover,
 
dear, I am willing to offer you 5% of the total sum as compensation for your effort/ input after the successful transfer of this fund into your nominated account overseas. I will like you to write back to me with your details as phone number and complete address to enable me call you on phone for the procedures of this transfer 
Anticipating your urgent response.

Melissa Dogwo,

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