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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 MARY JOHNSON <saintjohnson589@gmail.com>
Reply-To: marrryjohnson12343@gmail.com
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2021 00:15:13 +0000
Subject: Very Urgent Reply,


* My Dear Friend,I warmly greet you.My trusted family attorney who would
have executed my WILL & TESTAMENT on my behalf died early this year after a
brief illness.I therefore prayed fervently and by the special grace of
GOD,i was led to you. My name is Mrs. Mary Johnson,I got your email ID from
your country's guestbook while searching for a reliable person whom I can
confide in, I would like to willfully entrust the rest of my monetary
assets to you as I am currently on my last days in a hospital diagnosed of
cancer, I needed a very honest and God fearing person, further details,I
was orphaned as a child and got married to late Engineer.Steve Johnson for
twenty years without having an offspring.My late husband had chronic
cardiovascular condition and died of cardiac arrest few years ago.Steve and
I lived in Nigeria for over 18 years,where my husband a petrochemical
engineer by profession worked and rose through the ranks and became an
executive director in a multinational oil servicing and exploration
conglomerate, before his untimely death.He also established huge private
investments that i supervised before his death and which forms the major
source of our fortune.Consequent upon the shocking demise of my priceless
husband, i opted as a rule, not to re-marry. When medical reports revealed
that my cancer ailment have become terminal & more so because i do not have
a direct next of kin to bequeath all that STEVE & I labored for, and my
husbands relatives are not Christians and I don't want my family hard
earned money to be misused by unbelievers. I don't want a situation where
this money will be used in an ungodly manner,i sold off all our choice
assets,landed properties and other valuable family treasures and deposited
the proceeds amounting to USD$10,000,000.00 (TEN MILLION DOLLARS ONLY) with
First Inland Bank of Nigeria plc. The management of the bank has written me
as the sole beneficiary of the fund because of the unserviceable status of
the fund over the years and suggested to me in a 2 paragraph statement to
issue a letter of authorization to someone who can manage the fund on my
behalf because of my terminal illness and also threatened that the fund
could be confiscated upon my failure to adhere to their rules and
regulations as clearly spelt out in their code of conduct.I am on admission
at the intensive care unit of a London hospital,located at Fulham road in
west London United Kingdom. It is the leading cancer treatment hospital in
the world.I am currently undergoing treatment there for late-stage terminal
cancer of the lungs.I am writing from my sick bed in the (ICU).It is my
last WISH.As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of
the Finance/bank. I will also issue you a letter of authorization that will
empower you as the new beneficiary of my fund. I want you and the church to
always pray for me because the lord is my shepherd. My happiness is that I
live a life of a worthy Christian.Please assure me that you will not treat
this offer with levity but will consciously yield my bequest continued
existence.Kindly send me your information in this order:(1) Your full names
:======== (2) personal contact/mailing address:====== (3) Home or Office
phone#:============Cellphone#:==== (4) Your
Age:===============(5)Occupation:=========== (6)Sex/Marital status:=======
(7) Passport/Driver’s license:===== Kindly reach me via my personal email:
marrryjohnson12343@gmail.com <marrryjohnson12343@gmail.com>Have a nice day
and may God bless you richly. Yours SincerelyMrs. Mary Johnson. (LONDON
UK).*

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