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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: Madam Nancy <bellamallika631@gmail.com>
Reply-To: nancywalter74@yahoo.com
Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2022 18:09:00 -0800
Subject: COVID-19 FINANCIAL HELP TO YOU

Greetings my dear, my name is Madam Nancy from Switzerland, I am an
old Christian widow who is dying of esophageal cancer and congested
heart failure, I have the sum of (€3.500.000.00 / Three Million Five
Hundred thousand Euros) I inherited from my late husband which he
deposited in a Finance Company, I want to donate this money to someone
for charity, for the person to use it to help the less privileged
people in his or her Country affected by this COVID-19, also to fund
churches or mosques, orphanages and to ensure that the house of God is
maintained. I don't know if you are a Christian or Muslim, I found
your email from the internet directory, I contacted you to donate this
money to you because I do not have a child of my own or any relation
whose attitude have left me a good remark so if you are interested to
help me carryout this task please reply me immediately for more
information, may God bless you and your family.

Anti-fraud resources: