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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: Elke Benz <elke.benzz@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 6 Feb 2022 13:25:58 +0100
Subject: Dearest in the lord

--
Dearest in the lord

I'm a 68 years old woman suffering from prolonged breast cancer. From
all medical indications my condition has really deteriorated and it's
obvious that I may not live for more than six months owing to the
rapid growth and pain that accrues to it. My husband died a few years
back and our long years of marriage were not blessed with any child,
after his death I inherited all his wealth.

I come to you after praying over it, I am willing to donate the sum of
€1, 300, 000 for your work to help the poor, needy, and less
privileged among your congregations/society. Please note that this
fund is deposited in a bank where my husband worked. I will appreciate
it if you will give attention to my request for propagating the
kingdom message, I will provide you with more details on how to
proceed.

I will be expecting to hear from you soon.
Thanks Warm Regards
Mrs. Elke Benz

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