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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: "Johnny Marcus" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <jomarcus49@yahoo.com.hk>
Date: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 15:43:43 -0500
Subject: Contact Me

Hello,

I am Johnny Marcus, a junior staff of one of the banks here. I am giving you this secret information, so you can contact me back immediately for the necessary procedure to claim this fund. I wish to notify you again that you were listed as a beneficiary to the total sum of US$5m Dollars in the intent of the deceased (name of the deceased notwithstanding).
I have emailed you earlier without a response. In my first email I mentioned about my late client whose relatives I cannot get in touch with and so you could submit your information as his relative to claim this money.
I am contacting you because the bank is searching for relatives of the deceased and therefore can present you as the beneficiary to the inheritance since there is no written will by our late client. I am compelled to do this because I would not want the bank to push the client's funds (US$5 Million U.S Dollars) into the bank treasury as unclaimed inheritance.
I request that you kindly forward to me your letter of acceptance, your full name, your current telephone and fax numbers and a forwarding address to enable me compute your name into the banks database as the beneficiary of money in your favor.
I will thereafter give you the official email address of the bank's head office to contact the bank for verification and how you can transfer USD5m into your nominated bank.
Once the money is in your account, I beg that you give 20% of the USD5m for this fruitful information.
Send your contact details to me via email address: jomarcus49@yahoo.com.hk
Thanks in advance for your cooperation

Yours faithfully,
Johnny Marcus

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