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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: Mrs Clare Pettersson <clarepeterson654321@gmail.com>
Date:
Subject:

--
Hello Dear.

I am Mrs Clare Pettersson from Australia am married to late Mr George
Pettersson who worked with TOTAL OIL in Benin Republic for Twenty-Six
years before he died in the year 2009 after a brief illness that
lasted for only five days. We were married for Eighteen years with a
daughter (Lillian)who later died in a motor accident
before the untimely death of my husband.

Since after his death i decided not to remarry when my late husband
was alive he deposited the sum of USD $1.5M (One Million five Hundred
Thousand United States
Dollars) in a General Trust Account with a prime bank in Cotonou Benin
republic , Presently this money is still with the bank.

Recently following my ill health my Doctor told me that i may not last
for the next eight months due to my cancer problem, the one that
disturbs me most is my stroke sickness. Having known my condition i
decided to donate this fund to an individual or organization that will
Utilize this money the way I am going to instruct herein, according to
the desire of my late husband before his death, i want this fund to be
used in Activities like, Orphanages, widows, and displaced children.

I took this decision because I don't have any Child that will inherit
this money and my husband relatives are Unbelievers i don't need any
telephone communication in this regard because of my Health hence the
presence of my husband's relatives around me always i don't want them
to know about this development, as soon as I receive
Your reply, I shall give you the contact of the bank in Cotonou.

I will also issue you the documents that will prove you as the present
beneficiary of this fund. Any delay in your reply will give me room in
sourcing another for this
same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as i
stated here in hoping to receive your reply.

Thanks and god bless you,

Mrs. Clare Pettersson.

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