419 Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam (YYYY-MM)

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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:

This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "hundred thousand united states dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "Dr. Michael Lynn Boyd" <"www."@abeam.ocn.ne.jp>
Reply-To: "Dr. Michael Lynn Boyd" <universitairecnhuhkm@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2017 08:25:00 +0900 (JST)
Subject: Re.: Receive Our Charity Donation From (Evangelist WILLIAM PAUL) To
You.

ATTENTION: Dear Friend,
Re.: Receive Our Charity Donation From (Evangelist WILLIAM PAUL) To You.

I am contacting you based on trust that you will give me back this trust I have given to you today.
I am not looking for anything else but for someone with the fear of God and one who understands the spiritual implications of handling money meant for the propagation of Gods work.

I am Dr. Michael Lynn Boyd; From the Centre National Hospitalier Universitaire (CNHU-HKM) de Cotonou,RÃ©publique du BÃ©nin.

I have a Patient with a Long-time Brain Cancer problem, And his name is Evangelist (WILLIAM PAUL), He is a 76 years Old Man and a Switzerland Citizen.
He was working here in our country with the United Nations but unfortunately for him, he ran into the hands of the rebels with his wife and his dear son, And his family were all killed in that incident except Evangelist WILLIAM PAUL who escaped from the rebels with heavy injuries, knowing that he will not live so long because of the major operation conducted on him to survive .

So, he want to show an appreciation to God for his survival in that operation by donating part of his wealth for the promotion and propagation of God's work in the area of Charity with a sum of US$6.300,000,00 (SIX MILLION THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS) to humanity and this money are meant for all Motherless Children in all Destitute Homes and Widows .

This is a Charity donation from a passionate heart. Contact me via email if you are sincere enough so that I will connect you to his Lawyer who is in the custody of the depository documents in the bank and please do not reply me if you have the intention of using this fund in an ungodly way other than Evangelism and affecting lives.

My dear friend, though I have never meet you in person before sending you this message today but, once I get your mail reply with a full assurance that you will not betray a trust I reposed on you; I will then inform the Family Lawyer to Evangelist William Paul, so that he can arrange for the release of the funds to you.

Your most confidentiality in this matter will be appreciated until the task is accomplished, as I don't want anything that will Jeopardize his last wish, due to the fact that He do not want relatives or family members standing in the way of His last wish.
Thanks and may God bless you, As i hope to hear from you soon and please do not forget to send your Telephone number, Your Age, Your marital Status, Your Occupation and Your Nationality.

Yours,
Dr. Michael Lynn BOYD,
On behalf of Evangelist WILLIAM PAUL.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam