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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: "Ahmed Garuba" <ahmed_garuba02@hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 01 Oct 2005 21:01:00 +0000
Subject: CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS PROPOSAL.

FROM THE DESK OF:MR GARUBA AHMED.
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB)
BILL AND EXCHANGE DEPARTMENT,
OFFSHORE OFFICE,OUAGADOUGOU,BURKINA-FASO.

Dear,
I am the Bill and Exchange(assistant) Manager of the Africa development
Bank,
MR GARUBA AHMED.

In my department I discovered an abandoned sum of USD$11.300.000 (ELEVEN
MILLION THREE HUNDERS U.S.A DOLLARS). In an account that belongs to one of
our foreign customer who died along with his wife and two children in
November 1999 in a plane crash. Since we got information about his death, we
have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because
we cannot release it unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or
relation to the deceased, as indicated in our banking guidelines but
unfortunately we learnt that all his supposed next of kin or relation died
alongside with him in the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim.

It is therefore upon this discovery that I in my department now decided to
make this business proposals to you and release the money to you as next of
kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since
nobody is coming for it and we don't want this money to go into the bank
treasury as unclaimed fund. The banking law and guidelines here stipulates
that if such money remains unclaimed after five years, the money will be
transferred into the bank treasury as unclaimed fund.

The request of foreigner in this transaction is necessary because our late
customer was a foreigner and a Burkinabe cannot stand as next of kin to a
foreigner. We agree that 27% of this money will be for you as foreigner
partner, in respect to the provision of a foreign account,3% will be set
aside for expenses incurred during the business and 70% would be for me and
my colleague, after which we shall
visit your country for disbursement according to the percentages indicated.
Therefore to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to you as arranged,
you must apply first to the bank, and send your account number, your private
telephone and fax number for easy and effective communication and location
where the money will be remitted.
Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or e-mail the text of
the application which you shall retype and fax to our foreign remittance
maneger,for easy execution of the transaction.

I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is 100%
hitch-free on both side. As all required arrangement have been made for the
transfer. You should contact me immediately as soon as you receive this
letter.
Trusting to hear from you immediately.I expect your urgent reply.
Best regards.

MR GARUBA AHMED.
.BILL AND EXCHANGE (ASSIST.)MANAGER,
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK ANNEXE,
OUAGADOUGOU BURKINA-FASO.

_________________________________________________________________
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