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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: "Louis" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <janelouis001@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2011 00:48:05 +0100
Subject: Dearest,

Dearest,

I am very sorry to contact you with this unsolicited email but I did so because I need your urgent help to resolve my present desperate situation due to the suden death of my parents. My name is Jane Louis, I am 20yrs of age and the only daugther of my parents. I lost my parents in a political unrest in my country, they were killed by the government forces who claimed my father is surpporting the opposition in my country Cote d'ivoire you can read some of this on the bbc news on this link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12210205

Before the death of my father, he was a Coffee & Cocoa dealer and was very rich in his business, his sucess has been envy of some in the government officials for so long and they finally conspire to assasinate him with my mother and all family members in the family house when they were attacked by some militia loyal to the incumbent president who refused to step down after he was battleed in the recent election in my country. I was lucky to have been away in the burden school before this hurible killings were perpetrated. I escaped to the neighbouring country with a document covering some amount of money which my father deposited in a bank in Cotonou Benin.

This deposit has my name as the next of kin and he signed agreement that I should have access to the deposit when I am 30years of age except if I present a trustee of my choice.

I need your help to claim this money on my behalf as my choosing beneficiary and trustee. The agreement my late father signed with the bank does not allow me to have the access to the fund now except if I present a trustee that will help me receive the money and invest it. If you accept to help me receive this fund, I will offer you 25% of the whole money as a compensation for your help. I will travel from here to your country to invest my share of the money after it is transfer to you while I enrole to finish my education.

My life is not safe here and I need you to respond to my email as soon as posible so that I can send you all the details of the deposit and you will be introduced immediately to the bank as my trustee and beneficiary to my fund . I will send you all the details of the deposit and other informations when I read from you soon.

Reply to my private email for quick responce: janelouis001@gmail.com

sincerely,
Jane.


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