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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: mtare005 <mtare005@bol.com.br>
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2011 06:51:10 -0200
Subject: Amicalement!

Bonjour,

C'est suite à mes recherches sur Internet que j'ai eu à trouver votre adresse email. Je m'appelle Maggy Tare, je suis de nationalité Belge, je vis Aux Bruxelles où je travaille actuellement. Je désire avoir une correspondance d'amitié et d'échanges de tout genre avec vous. Je suis partante pour tout échange surtout dans le domaine de la culture, on pourrait s'échanger beaucoup plus. Je voudrais aussi connaitre votre ville, votre pays, rencontrer les gens qui y vivent, bref un tourisme que je considérerai comme un loisir indépendant. Répondez-moi si vous désirez qu'on soit amis.

Avec amitiés, les plus sincères

Maggy Tare

Anti-fraud resources: