419 scam: Mrs Miranda Ruston <miranda_r@faithserve.com> Dear Friend,

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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:

This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "hundred thousand united states dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "00,000.00" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "god fearing " (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
This email message is a "dying widow" scam.
This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
- miranda_ruston@hotmail.fr (Hotmail, France; can be used from anywhere worldwide)

Fraud email example:

From: Mrs Miranda Ruston <miranda_r@faithserve.com>
Reply-To: miranda_ruston@hotmail.fr
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:07:23 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Dear Friend,

Dear Friend,

Greetings in the name of God / Allah,Pls let this not sound strange to you for my only surviving lawyer who would have done this died early this year.i prayed and got your email id from your country's email dictionary and decided to mail you for permission to go ahead

I am Mrs Miranda Ruston from Australia,I am 58 years old,i am suffering from a long time cancer of the breast which also affected my brain,from all indication my conditions is really deteriorating and it is quite obvious that, according to my doctors they have advised me that i may not live for the next two months,this is because the cancer stage has gotten to a very bad stage. I was brought up from a motherless babies home,and was married to my late husband Mr Chris Ruston who worked in our emabassy in Cote D'iviore (Ivory Coast) for twenty years without a child ,my husband died in a fatal motor accident Before his death we were true Christians.Since his death I decided not to re-marry,I sold all my inherited belongings and deposited all the sum of Four Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (USD$4.5,00,000.00).

Presently, this money is still with the Bank and the management just wrote me as the true owner to come forward to receive the money for keeping it so long or rather issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my behalf since I can not come over because of my illness or they get it confisticated.

Presently, I'm writing you with my laptop in a hospital , where I have been undergoing treatment for cancer of the breast. I have since lost my ability to talk and my doctors have told me that I have only a few months to live.It is my last wish to see that this money is invested into any organisation of your choice and distributed each year among the charity organization,the poor and the motherless babies home.

I want you as God fearing person, to also use this money to fund churches or mosques, orphanages and widows,I took this decision, before i rest in peace because my time will so on be up.

As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the Bank where the inherited fund is.I will also issue you a letter of authority that will prove you as the new beneficiary of my fund. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein.

Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein. Hoping to hear from you soon.

NAME: __________SURNAME:__________________SEX: _____ AGE: ______MARITAL: _______________COUNTRY: _______CITY: _________ STATE _______
ZIP
CODE: _______CONTACT ADDRESS: ________________________PHONE NO#___________FAX NO#_________________OCCUPATION:
______________POSITION: _____________

waiting for you information at my regular email address adress ( miranda_ruston@hotmail.fr)

To enable me write an Authorization Letter to the bank that will proove you as the new beneficiary of the funds

Waiting for your reply
Best Regard,
Mrs Miranda Ruston

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