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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: "Kevin Keitah" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <keitahkn@aol.com>
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:09:30 -0000
Subject: Reply and Advise me Urgently........

Greetings from Kevin Keitah:
 
I am Kevin Keitah son of a community chief, Mr. Massimbo Keitah a licensed business merchant and contractor. My father passed away some years back, few years before he died, he apparently married a woman who became my stepmother because my mother died when i was very young. 
It is my honour to write you this message to help me and  stand as a foreign friend and business partner to my late father to secure an estate, a huge sum of money inherited from my late father�s export and gold merchant business. I will not be able to further education in an Aviation school aboard without the money. The reason i need your help is because of the agreement my late father had with his bank which is the money should be transferred to a foreign associate account for investment and to further my education aboard, because of this reason I am not able to withdraw any money from the account until it is being transferred to you or a foreign account as the foreign business partner to my late father since I have waited so long without hearing from my late father business partner. 
I wish to entrust this to your care to stand as the foreign business partner and friend to my late father for smooth transfer of the funds. Firstly, I have to go to the bank with your information to introduce you to the bank account manager as the foreign business partner to my late father so that he will be convinced to transfer the funds to your foreign bank account as soon as you contact him.
 
I wrote you with good faith and instinct that you will not let me down considering my situation. I am being maltreated as an orphan since my father died. The rest of my parents properties have been taken by my wicked uncle and stepmother who attempted to kill me to inherit all that my late father left before he died. I feel very uncomfortable with the situation here. I wish to invest the funds as you may advise me in your country and secure my admission into an aviation school. I will be glad if you assure me of your willingness and support to help me since you are living in a more peaceful and advanced country than my war ravaged country.
 
I will appreciate your acceptance and I am willing to offer you 810,000 for your assistance. I will be happy if you find it more convenient to fly down to Abidjan to handle the transaction with the bank so that I can go back with you to your country to continue my education and invest according to your advice.
For more information about me, I am undergraduate student, 17years old from Sierra leone but presently residing in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. I will give you more detail as soon as I hear from you.
Please reply me as soon as possible and let know your contact telephone number and address for easy communication with you. 
Thanks,
Kevin Keitah

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