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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: "FROM DAVID SOW" <davidsow001@yahoo.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: davidsow003@yahoo.com
Date: Tue, 30 May 2006 08:41:42 +0000
Subject: GOOD DAY TO YOU SIR

Greeting,
Sir,

I am contacting you believing you are a honest and trustworthy person.I believe you will not betray the confidence I am willing to repose in you, for me to have contacted you even though we've not met before.

My name is David Sow,the only son of late Mr.Peter Sow who was the chairman /President/CEO,Cacao-Cafe & Agro-Alimentary industries plc.SCAFECAO)"Bouake" and ex-owner of Polyclinic LA-MADONNE, of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire.

You can find the story on this website:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2269238.stm

On 19th of September 2002,a group of so called rebels took over the city of Bouake to over-throw the Government of Mr.Laurent Gbagbo the President of Cote d'Ivoire. On the 20th day morning at about 4:18am some fractions of the same group of rebels break into our house and killed our security guard and pass-through the gate entrance to the main building and took my father away to an un-known destination.

After about four hours later we found him (my father) at the road side, by then he had been totally beaten and was bleeding to death lying in the pool of his own blood. From there, we rushed him to a near by hospital and hours later he sent for my mother. So he told her that he can not make it from the doctors diagnosis, he also told her that it was because he (my father) was not from the northern part of the country that he has been treated this way and also being a political activist. And again he said he is suspecting some of his business partners for conspiracy and this sort of brutality. He also told my mother that he deposited a huge amount of money i.e US$ 6.5million dollars(Sex million five hundred thousand us dollars only)in a Finance house and also told her where he kept the whole documents concerning this deposit that is made for investment purpose in the western world.

That same day, he (my father) gave up the ghost. Then with the help of the French soldiers, we escaped to Senegal, where we are now. I am now contacting you believing you are honest and trustworthy to help us to receive the money in your account for investment, I and my mother has decided in compensating you 20%of the total amount for your assistance .

Please do take your time to go through the mail and get back to us, so that I will simply introduce to the Finance house where the fund are being kept now for onward transfer.
please you can contact us through our privct email address davidsow003@yahoo.com

I am waiting for your response.
Thanks and God bless.
David Sow.


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