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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: Mrs Elisabeth Goldgate <attorneyricharddicksond@gmail.com>
Reply-To: elisabeth_goldgate@yahoo.com
Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2012 07:38:57 -0700
Subject: Dear friend, can you assist me?

Dearest,

My name is Elisabeth Goldgate, I am an account officer in a bank here
in the United Kingdom. I am contacting you for a business transfer, of
a huge sum of money from a deceased account. Though I know that a
transaction of this magnitude will make any one apprehensive and
worried, but I am assuring you that everything has been well taken
care off, and all will be well at the end of the day.

I am the account officer of a foreigner who died in an air crash along
with his wife on the 31st October 1999 in an Egyptian airline 990 with
other passengers on board. Upon this discovery, I now seek your
permission to have you stand as a next of kin to the deceased because
you bear the same last with him and to claim the funds he deposited in
our bank worth Eight million, Five Hundred Thousand British Pounds
Sterling (£8,500,000.00)

Therefore, it is on this note I decided to seek for whom his name
shall be used as the next of kin/beneficiary to this funds rather than
allow the bank directors to share this money amongst them at the end
of the year.

Please acknowledge receipt of this message in acceptance of our mutual
business endeavor by responding to this letter. I shall be
compensating you with 40% of the total sum on conclusion of this
project for your assistance. Do not take undue advantage of the trust
I have bestowed in you by informing you of this transaction from my
bank, as I will advise you to kindly desist from responding at all if
you do NOT intend to render any assistance. Endeavour to respond via
my secured email address. Thanks.

Best regards,
Elisabeth Goldgate.

Anti-fraud resources: