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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: Felix <felixmbolo@yahoo.fr>
Reply-To: fexmbolo@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 02 Oct 2013 03:06:15 +0200
Subject: HELLO

Good day toYou,
I hope you are going well.
Don’t be offended at this mail, because I don’t know you before; I only
write to you to seek your good assistance, maybe you can be able to help
me. I am 18 years old from Ivory Coast (Cote-d’Ivoire), my name is Felix
MBolo. My father is late; he died during the war in our country in
April 2011. I have a stepmother, my late father’s wife, and I have some
paternal uncles. But, these people have refused to pay my school fees
since my father died. Though I am my father first son, my stepmother
has pushed me aside. So, I am just alone; but, I have something that I
have kept from my immediate relatives since my father died; and this is
the reason I have come to you. There is this money the sum of $2,000
000 ($2Million) that my late father kept in some bank in Ghana during
the beginning of the post electoral crisis that caused the war. The
papers of the deposit have always been in my possession. Recently, I
wanted to see if I could collect the money and continue my education
outside our country. The bank did confirm the existence of the fund,
but, they insisted that they cannot attend to my application for the
fund, until my tutor/guardian, or an elderly relative attest for me.
And this is the reason I have come to you. I wanted to present you to
the bank as my tutor so that you could help me to retrieve the fund, and
thereafter help come to your country to continue my education.
So, if could help me, and if you would accept to take just $300 000 from
the fund for your help, then, I will send to you all information, and
put you in contact with the bank.
Thanks for reading, and I look forward to your response.
Faithfully,
Felix Mbolo
fexmbolo@gmail.com
+22502988581

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