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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: "mrs.mary louis" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mrsmarylouis2010@aol.com>
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2012 07:21:09 -0400
Subject: Greetings in the name of God

Dear Friend,

Greetings in the name of God please 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 Christian guest book which I have been
with my late husband and liked to visit once more if God will in his infinite
mercies.

I am Mrs. Mary Louis. from London I am 58 years old, I am suffering from a long
time cancer of the lungs 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 was married to my late husband
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
10million dollars with my First Inland Bank.

Presently, this money is still with them 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 confiscated.

Presently, I'm with my laptop in a hospital in London where I have been
undergoing treatment for cancer of the lungs. 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 to any organization of your choice and distributed each year among the
charity organization, the poor and the motherless baby?s home.

I want you as God fearing person, to also use this money to fund churches,
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. 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. You are
requested to send to me the following information to enable me use it to write a
Letter of Authorization on your behalf to the bank so that they will release the
money to you as my new next of kin.

NAME: __________SURNAME:__________________SEX: _____ AGE: ______MARITAL:
_______________COUNTRY: CONTACT ADDRESS: ________________________PHONE
NO#___________OCCUPATION:_______________
please reply me through this my private email address: mrsmarylouis2010@aol.com
Hoping to hear from you soon.

Mrs. Mary Louis

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