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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: "Anthony Smith" <ktxhaa2@msn.com>
Reply-To: tonysmithss1@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2006 09:25:01 +0000
Subject: GOOD DAY PLEASE READ YOUR MAIL.

Dear Friend,

I am Mr TONY SMITH Bank Manager Bank Manager of Union Bank of Nigeria,Lagos
Branch. I have urgent and very confidential business proposition for you.

On June 6, 2000, Mrs. Ann Barbara Myers made a numbered time (Fixed) Deposit
for forty eight months, (being four years) valued at US$45,000,000.00,(forty
five Million, Dollars) in my branch.

Upon maturity, I sent a routine notification to her forwarding address but
got no reply. After a month, we sent a reminder and finally we discovered
from her employers, that Mrs. Ann Barbara Myers died from tsunami while on
holidays in Thailand 26 December 2004. On further investigation, I found out
that she died without making a WILL and all attempts to trace her next of
kin was fruitless.

I therefore made further investigation and discovered that Mrs. Ann Barbara
Myers did not declare any next of kin or relations in all her official
documents, including her Bank Deposit paperwork in my Bank. This sum of
US$45,000,000 has carefully been moved out of my bank to a security
company for safekeeping.

No one will ever come forward to claim it. According to my country's Law, at
the expiration of (three) years, the money will revert to the ownership of
the Nigerian Government if nobody applies to claim the fund.

Consequently, my proposal is that I will like you to stand in as the owner
of the money I deposited it in a security company in two trunk boxes though
the security company does not know the contents of the boxes as I tagged
them to be photographic materials for export. I am writing you because I as
a public servant (Manager with the bank), I cannot operate a foreign account
or have an account that is more than $1m.

I want to present you as the owner of the boxes in the security company so
you can be able to claim them with the help of my attorney. This is simple.
I will like you to provide immediately your full names and address so that
the Attorney will prepare the necessary documents which will put you in
place as the owner of the boxes.

The money will be moved out for us to share in the ratio of 60% for me and
30% for you while 10% has been mapped out for expenses. There is no risk at
all as all the paperwork for this transaction will be done by the Attorney
and this will guarantees the successful execution of this transaction.

If you are interested, please reply immediately via my email address upon
your response, I shall then provide you with more details and relevant
documents that will help you understand the transaction.

Please observe utmost confidentiality, and rest assured that this
transaction would be most profitable for both of us because I shall require
your assistance to invest my share in your country.(Buying of properties
like houses, hotels etc)

Please do send me your private/mobile telephone fax number so that we can
have a smooth communication.

Awaiting your urgent reply.

Regards.

Mr Anthony Smith


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