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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: "Mrs.Grace Roha" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <graceroha77@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:38:37 +0800
Subject: Greetings From Mrs.Grace Roha....

Greetings From Mrs.Grace Roha,
 
After going through your information over the internet i decided to contact you for friendship and assistance for distribution of my inheritance towards charity. My name is Mrs.Grace.Roha; I am a dying woman who has decided to donate what I have for the good work of charity. I am 60 years old and I was diagnosed for breast cancer for about 2 years now.
 
I have been touched by God to donate from what I have inherited from my late husband to you for the good work of God, rather than allow my husband evil relatives to use my husband hard earned funds ungodly. They don't care about man kind, all they care is how to rob some money from me and spend them ungodly. Please pray that the good Lord forgives me my sins. I have asked God to forgive me and I believe he has because He is a merciful God.
 
I will be going in for a surgery soon and I want to make sure that I make this donation before undergoing my surgery.
 
I decided to donate the sum of US$3,500,000 (Three million five hundred thousand dollars) to you for the good work of the lord, and also to help them other less and less privilege and also for the assistance of the widows and unfortunate mothers. At the moment I cannot take any telephone calls right now due to the fact that my husband's relatives are always around me and trying to see if they can overhear my conversations and my health status as well.
 
I wish you all the best and may the good Lord bless you abundantly, and please use the funds well and always extend the good work to others. I have in formed my consultant about the (US$3,500,000.00). it is true that I don't know you and you don't know, but I have been directed by God to contact you for this. Thanks and God bless. I will direct you further after hearing from you.
 
NB: I will appreciate your utmost confidentiality in this matter until the task is accomplished as I don't want anything that will jeopardize my wish. Also I will be contacting with you only by email as I don't want my husband relations or anybody to know because they are always around me.
 
Reply me through this my most private email: ( graceroha@gmail.com  )
 
Regards,
Mrs.Grace.Roha
 

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