419 scam: "Christel E. Nana" <elisabeth.edward1960@gmail.com> It's urgent, please reply.

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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- ",500,000" (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)
- "00,000.00" (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)
- "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "Christel E. Nana" <elisabeth.edward1960@gmail.com>
Reply-To: ch_oparah@yahoo.com
Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2021 07:08:42 +0000
Subject: It's urgent, please reply.

Hello Dear Friend,

I am Miss Christel Nana, from Ivory Coast, the only child of late Mr.
& Mrs. Patrick Nana. My late father was the founder of an oil and
metals company in Abidjan, before he was killed by unknown gunmen
after a brief meetings with the government of our country. I feel very
bad about his death. May his gentle soul rest in peace. Amen

I have inherited some funds from my late father, the sum of
($5,500,000.00 US dollars) that he deposited in a bank and I would
like to invest these funds in your country through your noble help.
20% of this money will be for your time and effort, while 80% will be
for my studies and investment in your country. I am honorably seeking
your help in the following ways:

(1) You will have to keep this transaction confidential to avoid greed.

(2) You will serve as guardian of this fund as I am only 20 years old
whom have no business experience.

(3) You will arrange for me to go to your country to continue my
education in the university.

Please, it is important that you contact me immediately for further
clarification on the next step in this transaction. Waiting for your
immediate response, I will tell you more about myself. Thanks

Yours sincerely
Miss Lil Christel Nana

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam