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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: EDITH EDE <edith.ede@btinternet.com>
Reply-To: edith.ede13@live.fr
Date: Fri, 21 May 2010 10:51:04 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Hello From Miss Edith


Hello From Miss Edith,
 
How are you today?To introduce myself, I'm 21 years old, single and unmarried. I lost my mother at the very young age of 3, and being the only daughter, I have neither brothers nor sisters. I was a student in my 2nd year studying fashion designs/modelling in a college before the ugly incident that took the life of my father. And since then I've been passing through a very difficult and painful period of my life.
 
I am very pleased to meet you and request you to accept me as your friend and to be My guadian as i contacted you ,Please i wish to invest in your country and  i am pleading with you to be my Adviser/Guidian.Honestly i don't really know which area to invest in because i am still schooling and i have never invested before and don't have any idea on investement issues this is why i need you to be my guidian/adviser .
 
I am Miss Edith Ede the only daugther of late Mr and Mrs Lambert Ede from the republic of Cote D'Ivoire. My father was a very wealthy cocoa merchant based in Abidjan, the economic capital of Cote D'Ivoire before he was poisoned to death by his business associates on one of their outing to discuss on a business deal.When my mother died on the 21st October 1992, my father took me so special because I am motherless. Before the death of my father on 27th June 2005 in a private hospital here in Abidjan. He secretly called me on his bedside and told me that he has a sum of $3.500.000 (Three million,five hundred thousand)left in a Bank here in Cote d'ivoire, that he used my name as her only daugther for the next of kin in deposit of the Fund.Further more he also explained to me that it was because of this wealth and some huge amount of money his business associates supposed to balance him from the deal they had that he was been poisoned.He then advised that I
should seek for a God fearing foreign partner in a country of my choice who will assist me transfer this fund and use it for investment purpose, then I would want you to  provide your personal contacts including your phone/fax number for easier communication.
 
I am honourably seeking your assistance in the following ways.
1) I want you to help me transfer this money from the Bank here and transfer it into your account for onward investment in your country.
2) You are going to be the manager of this fund and also my personal guardian until I finished my studies as I'm just 21 years old.
3) You are going to procure admission for me to continue my studies in one of the known university in your country.
4) Moreover, I am willing to offer you 25% of the sum as compensation for effort input after the successfully transfer to you from the Bank here. And I am willing to proceed with you as soon as I have your response.I will send you my photo as soon as i hear from you.
 
Anticipating to hear from you soon.
Thanks and God bless.
Best regards,
Edith Ede

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