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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.Rose Obianu" <gala@smrtlc.ru>
Date:
Subject:

Attn: Dear beneficiary

Good-day to you, How are you doing today? Hope fine. First, my name is Mrs.Rose Obianu, personal assistant to Boss Gidahyelda Mustapha, secretary to the President Muhammadu Buhari. Well my boss as I mentioned before directed me to burn down all the files in his cupboard and dust the entire office as the secretary to the President Muhammadu Buhari, as he is about to leave office, as his tenure is ending this year.

During this time While I was doing that, it occurred in my mind to go through some files before burning them so while going through it, I discovered one file that was related to a certain payment of about $5.5 million dollars that have already been programmed in an Automatic Teller Machine popularly known as ATM Card for your UN scam victim compensation from UN, and as I was Planning on how to contact you and send it across to you.

Then someone send me a sad news email message about you with your email address, claiming to be your relative and said that you are on sick bed and you ordered him to contact us, that you have an accident and accidentally it claimed your life and he is here to stand as your next of kin and also to justify his statement he send us a new address where I will send him the card with the pin code to him, and that's why I am contacting you on your email direct to know if, it is truth or lie.

So please confirm to me immediately if you are still alive before any further proceedings to him, if in three days from now I didn’t hear from you I will proceed with him. Please reply to this email redacted@domain.name)

Your urgent reply needed
Thanks and God bless you
Mrs.Rose Obianu
redacted@domain.name

Anti-fraud resources: