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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. Maddie Morgan" <Maddie.Morgan@outlook.com>
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2017 05:32:52 +0000
Subject: my beloved

My Beloved, Greetings to you and your family, I am Mrs. Maddie Morgan,A widow to late Mr. Johnson Morgan, I am 58 years old, my late Husband was a Director with the Construction Company here before his Sudden Death through food poison, but before his death, he Deposited the Sum of¨$17, Million US dollars in a private security bank with my name and I am suffering from pancreatic cancer, My condition is really bad and it is quite obvious that I won’t live more than six months according to my doctors, I am willing to donate the sum of $17,Million US dollars for you to help widows and the less privileged ones in the rural and urban areas and to carry out charity works in your Country and around the World on my Behalf. I took this decision because I don’t have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not good at all because they are the one that poisoned my husband in other to have all my late husband properties and I don’t want my husband’s efforts to be used by those heartless people. I don’t want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly way. Waiting for your Urgent Responds Remain blessed in the name of the Lord. Yours truly Mrs. Maddie

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