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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: Mohamed Sani <deptlivewindows@qatar.io>
Reply-To: privateemail@videobank.it
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:21:35 -0800 (PST)
Subject:




From: Dr Mohamed Sani
Bank of Africa (BOA).
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Dear friend,
It's just the urgent need for a foreign partner that made me to contact you for this transaction. I am Dr Mohamed Sani from Burkina Faso in West Africa, banker by profession, MOSSI by tribe, a Bokinabe. I will give you my complete profile on the next mail. I got your contact after my extensive search for capable person. I prayed and meditated fervently over it and i committed it into the hands of almighty that you should be the rightful person to help out before I made up my mind to contact you today. I discovered the sum of $4.2 millions in dormant account that belongs to a German investor.
I found out that the investor died together with his entire family in the plane crash that
wiped away the whole family, and left nobody behind to claim the said fund.
For the success of this transaction, you should apply to the bank as the only existing NEXT OF KIN to the deceased which our bank will replace the deceased account information through proper documentation to your own account.
Hence, I am inviting you for a business deal where this money can be shared between us in the ratio of 60/40 if you agree to my business proposal.
Further details of the transfer will be forwarded to you as soon as I receive your return mail. Reply me here for security reasons, Email: privateemail@videobank.it

Have a great day.
Thanks,
Sincerely,
Dr Mohamed





Anti-fraud resources: