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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: "WILLIAMS LATASHA" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <latasha@addmem.tk>
Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 04:17:12 +0100
Subject: Greetings To You Blessed One

Dear Beloved,

Greetings to you blessed one!. As you read through my message, I do
not want you to be sympathetic for me, for I believe that
someday, somehow, we will all surely die. This is about mine, and a last wish.



It is by the grace of God that I received Christ,Having known the truth, I had no choice than to do what is lawful and right in the sight of God for eternal life, and in the sight of man for witness of God´s mercy and glory upon my life.I am Mrs Latasha Williams, the wife of Late Mr Peter Williams, my husband worked with the Chevron/Texaco in Kenya for twenty years before he died in the year 2007.We were married for Seven years without a child. My Husband died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days. Before his death we were both born again Christians.

Since his death I decided not to re-marry or get a child outside my matrimonial home which is against the biblical teachings. When my late husband was alive, he deposited the sum of US $4.5M (Four million Five Hundred Thousand U.S. Dollars) with a Bank in Africa. Presently, this money is still with the Bank and the management of the bank just wrote to me as the beneficiary to come forward to process and sign for the release of this money or rather issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my behalf if I can not come over.

Presently, I'm in a hospital in Kenya where I have been undergoing treatment for esophageal cancer. I have since lost my ability to talk and my doctors have told me that I have only a few weeks to live. It is my last wish to see this fund distributed to charity organizations any where in the World. Because relatives and friends have plundered so much of my wealth since my illness, I cannot live with the agony of entrusting this huge responsibility to any of them. Please, I beg you in the name of God to help, Stand and collect the Funds from the Bank. Letter of authorization and every other documents will be provided to you.

Yours in Christ,

Latasha Williams.

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