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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. Carolyn Wright" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mrscarolynwright31@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2019 22:31:24 -0500
Subject: God's Work..

Dear Friend,
 
I warmly greet you.
 
 
Please forgive me if my plea sounds a little strange or unbelievable to you, my attorney who could have handled the process of executing my WILL & TESTAMENT on my behalf died early last year after a protracted illness. I am Mrs. Carolyn Wright from Australia, I am 76 years old. I am suffering from protracted cancer of the lungs. I am presently on admission at the intensive care unit of a London hospital.
 
I want you to help me and do the work of God with my funds. I will appreciate if you contact me through my email and send me with your full Names, Sex, Age, Marital Status, Contact Address, Phone No: and your Current Occupation to enable me write a Letter of Authorization on your behalf to my bankers, First Inland bank Nigeria Plc, so that with my Authorization Latter  they will transfer my deposited fund of ($10 MILLION DOLLARS ) to your bank account for the purpose of helping the poorest of the poor especially the orphanage homes and homes for destitute and the mentally retarded. you can also extend some part of the funds to churches and mosques and to those struck by natural disaster as indicated on my WILL & TESTAMENT .I have earmarked 5% of the total fund on cost of administration of WILL & TESTAMENT and also on logistics and other sundry arrangements that you may require.
 
 
The Letter of Authorization will further prove that you are the new beneficiary of my FUND, ESTATE, and WILL & TESTAMENT. The fund has an open beneficiary mandate and as such, it is whom i Authorize or appoint to act on my behalf that the bank will recognize and release the funds to. Please assure me that you will not treat this offer with levity but will rather give my bequest continued existence.
 
 
Reply me through my private email address: carolynwright121@aol.com
 
 
Yours-in-Christ,
 
 
Mrs. Carolytn Wright
 
 

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