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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:

Fraud email example:

From: Mark Donald <markdonald0488@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2021 07:42:39 +0100
Subject: GREETINGS.

Hello Dear,

I am Mark Donald, Military personnel with the US Army, 2nd Battalion,
22ND Infantry Regiment in Iraq. As you know we are being attacked by
insurgents every day. During our raiding and bursting of the Taliban &
terrorist, our Intel passed a resourceful information to us and with the
lead our base approved we made the confrontation and to our greatest
surprise we found in their hide-out lots of ammunition. I and my crew
members also discovered a huge amount of money and shared it among
ourselves and I benefited from the sum of four million and eight hundred
thousand United States dollars and fifteen kilograms of gold bars.
(4.8million dollars and 15kilogram of gold bars) in Iraq, where I am
currently on a peacekeeping mission. I quickly put it in a secured trunk
box and locked it with a security code and transported it out of the war
zone claiming it was my personal belongings and ordered that a security and
shipping company should take it away.

Unfortunately, some of my crew members have lost their lives to the wicked
Iraq insurgents and I am recovering from an arm injury. I believe all the
troops may be withdrawn from Iraq in the next few months, I therefore seek
your partnership to assist me take delivery of these funds and gold dust
without any further delay, I will be entitled to 60% while you will get 35%
and 5% will be for expenses.

This business is risk free; if you are interested, my question is if I can
trust you?

The trunk box is currently with the worldwide translogistics Security and
Shipping Company, they have their branches in the United States, Canada,
Europe, Africa and Asia, and they are waiting for me to introduce someone
that they will deliver the trunk box to.

The company does not know the contents of the box because I told them that
it contains my family valuables. They cannot take it to the US army
headquarters because it will not be given to me but will be shared among
top officers. That's why I want you to help me receive the trunk box of
money and gold bars.

This is an urgent matter and if you are agree to receive this trunk box
please reply me and promise me that you will keep my share of the money and
gold bars until I finish from this mission and return home, I will also
like you to find a buyer who can buy the gold bars and deposit my share of
the money and gold bars in the bank until I return from war. Immediately I
return from Iraq I will arrange to travel to meet you and collect my share
of the money and gold bars and also I will like you to tell me about some
businesses in your city in which I can invest some money.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Mr. Mark Donald,

US Army.

2nd Infantry Regiment, in Iraq

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