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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:
 -  "million 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)
 
-  "ms.marine.olakun@outlook.fr" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
 
-  This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams. 
 
Fraud email example:
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From: Marine Olakun <ferrimarina@alice.it>Reply-To: ms.marine.olakun@outlook.fr
 Date: Mon, 21 May 2018 10:15:54 +0200 (CEST)
 Subject: Greetings from an Orphan
 
 Greetings from an Orphan
 
 from: Ms. Marine Olakun
 West Africa
 
 Please for security reasons reply to; (ms.marine.olakun@outlook.fr) if you are
 willing and interested.
 Permit me to
 inform you of my desire to go into business relationship with you.
 I got your contact and I prayed over it and selected your email among other
 emails believing that you are a reputable and trustworthy person that I can
 confide in. I urge you to have mercy on me and my brother because we are in a
 desperate condition right now and we need your help urgently, strongly
 believing that you will not betray this trust we are reposing in you. My late
 father Mr. Olakun, before his tragic death deposited the sum of ($5.5 million
 Dollars) in a bank. As his only daughter he told me that he wanted to use the
 money to investment in real estate business in a foreign country and he was
 searching for a perfect investment partner before he died. From the attitude of
 my uncles during the funeral, I decided not to fight to inherit my fatherâs
 properties including his businesses because I suspected that they are the same
 people that killed him and may also want to kill me and my brother. Therefore
 we decided to go in search of this deposit which is the reason why we left our
 country and came to this country where we are now. I am therefore seeking your
 assistance to invest the money in your country or any other country you seem
 safe and secure in a lucrative business while we go back to school. I came here
 to the bank to make our claims known. I came with the deposit agreement my late
 father made with the finance house. After verifying the document with the one
 in their file, the finance house accepted us as the next of kin but said that
 my father agreed with the bank that the money will be invested by his foreign
 partner, and therefore that the money will not be released to me unless I
 preset the foreign partner. That is the reason why I contacted you. I have the
 deposit documents and the Letter of Acceptance the finance house gave to me
 showing that they have accepted our claims. I will show you the documents on
 request. You will also help me and my brother to relocate to your country.
 Please if you can handle this project of investing the money, kindly get back
 to me to enable me give you the contact of the finance house and how we will
 claim the money for investment. This is the only thing I can call my
 inheritance after the sudden death of my father and we count on you. Please on
 your return mail send me your telephone number. I will appreciate if you treat
 this matter confidentially.
 Yours Faithfully.
 Ms. Marine Olakun and Brother.
 
 
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