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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.Katherine Benjamin" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mrskatherinebenjamin11@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2018 11:02:24 +0200
Subject: FROM Mrs.Katherine Benjamin(URGENT NEED OF HELP)

Mrs.Katherine Benjamin
4th Street Houghton Estates
Johannesburg South Africa
My Greetings,
I have to introduce myself since we don't know each other, I am Mrs. Katherine Benjamin, I decided to write to you in confidence that you will not betray or disappointment my wish. However I am aware that this is certainly not a conventional way of approaching an unknown person for establishment of project, but each day, that passes by, I am afraid to die, but life gives me no choice, but to answer the call; my prayer each day is to have a place in Heaven. I have suffered a lot as a result of this incurable sickness!
I am 75 years old and was diagnosed with cancer about six years ago, immediately after the death of my husband. I have no children of mine and only see the less privileged as my successors.  I have been touched to donate from what I have inherited from my late husband for the good work rather than allow his relatives to lavish my husband's hard earned money , because I have no much time with me again in this world.
I am looking for a trustworthy person to assist me in this project, because I only wanted a foreigner from outside our country and not here in S/A to have my late husband earn money and do as per my wish, and I don't even want my late husband relative to be aware when and where the said fund transfer to and that is the reason why I need your help most now am on sick bed and my last surgery will be soonest which I believe not to survive.
As I lay on my sick bed, I want you to help me in carrying out my last wish on earth to the less privilege around your community, I want to WILL a total sum of $5.5 Million USD to you which I want you to distribute 70% of it to charity homes or build a charity home in your city and the rest for yourself and your family.  I found all African foundation for less privileges are owned and established to enrich the owners and hundreds of millions are being donated to this homes but still the children in those homes are not well taken care of.
Recently,the doctors told me I might not live longer than  3 months after they diagnosed me of chronic/acute lymphocytic or myeloid[Leukemia] Leukemia is a blood cancer in both the bone marrow and in blood itself, leukemia cells crowd out normal blood cells leading to serious bleeding and infection. I have being undergoing blood transfusion, I will not blame God for all this misfortune, but I pray that all my pains are not witnessed by any human.
My dear all i want is for you to indicate your full interest on assurance of trust and carry on this project with me, you have nothing to worry about, My late husband was in real estate business and trades on gold, The money I am willing to you was incomes from long years of hard working.
I will be looking forward to hearing from you.
Regards in sincerity,
Mrs.Katherine Benjamin
Email: mrskatherinebenjamin11@gmail.com

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