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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: Aineas Tsarai <aineastsarai03@yahoo.pt>
Reply-To: Aineas Tsarai <madaline.tiwaku@yahoo.pt>
Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 22:56:31 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: Dear sir/Madam,


 Dear sir/Madam,
Warm New Year to you as I know that this letter may be a very big surprise to you, I came across your email contact from my personal search and I believe that you will be honest to fulfill my final wish before I will die.
I am Mrs. Madaline Tiwaku from LONDON. I am 60 years old, I am deaf and suffering from a long time cancer of the breast, which the Doctor also said is affecting my brain.
>From all indication my condition is really deteriorating, and my doctors have courageously advised me that I may not live beyond the next two months, this is because the cancer stage has reached a critical stage.  I was brought up in a motherless baby's home, and was married to my late husband for twenty years without a child. 
My husband and I are true Christians, but quite unfortunately, he died in a fatal motor accident.Since his death I decided not to re-marry, I sold all my inherited belongings and deposited the sum of $ 4.5 million dollars with a Security/Finance Company as family valuables. Presently this deposit is still in their custody and the management just wrote me as the legitimate depositor to inform me about my deposit or rather issue a letter of authorization to someone to receive it on my behalf since I cannot come over as a result of my illness, or they get it confiscated. 
Presently I'm with my laptop in the hospital where I have been undergoing treatment.  I have since lost my ability to talk and 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 in any organization of your choice and the proceeds distributed each year among the charity organization, the poor and the motherless baby's orphanage homes and widows around.  I must let you know that this was a very hard decision, but I had to take a bold step towards this issue because I have no one else to trust.
Please treat as a matter of urgency and with utmost confidentiality.   Hope to hear from you soonest.  
Yours in the Lord Mrs Madaline Tiwaku

Anti-fraud resources: