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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: FEDEX INTL <fedexintl@qq.com>
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 23:04:35 +0200
Subject: CONSIGNMENT BOX WITH UR NAME,ADDRESS AT CHARLESTON INT'L AIRPORT SC.{{{{

Hello, I am Bill Rosevelt, a senior officer at Charleston International Airport SC.I have contacted you regarding an abandoned diplomatic consignment box and the x-ray scan report box revealed some US dollar bill in it which could be approximately 2.3million dollars and the official paper of the box indicates your conpany name/contact details. To confirm you as the authentic beneficiary, do send me your full company name, your office address, your mobile tel number and the nearest airport close to you. For your information, the box is by a customer of yours who was on transit to your city but mistakinly the box was diverted,but with the help of my organization FEDEXPRESS at charleston intl airport i have located the box and I have taken it upon myself to contact you personally about this abandoned box so that we can transact this as a deal and share the total money 70% for you and 30% for me. As soon as I get the requested detail from you for verification, I will pay the ATL clearance fee of 3,800dollars and make arrangement for the box to be delivered to you which can be concluded within 4-6hours after confirmation is made and upon your acceptance and willingness to co-operate. All communication must be held extremely confidential to ensure a successful delivery. Send your response to my private email address (fedexintl@qq.com). I will be waiting to receive your information in order for us to proceed. Best Regards fedex intl

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