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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: "Dr. Raymond Marks" <rayqest16@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 10:50:34 +0100
Subject: Business Proposition

Barclays Bank plc
2 Churchill Place
London EC14 5HP
Phone: +447035942375

Dear Friend,

I wish to inform you that, this Letter is not a Hoax Mail, and I urge you to
treat it with seriousness. I want to Transfer to Overseas Account
(USD$150,000,000.00) One hundred and fifty Million United State Dollars)

I want to know, if you are not capable, then I will quietly look for a
Reliable and Honest person who is Capable and fit to provide Either an
Existing Bank Account or set up a New Bank A/C immediately to receive this
Money. Even an Empty A/C will serve to receive this Money, as long as you
will remain Honest to me until the end of this important Business trusting
in you and believing in God that you will never let me down either now or in
the future.

I am Dr. Raymond Marks, presently promoted to Auditor General in Barclays
Bank plc London. During the Course of our auditing last week, I discovered a
floating Fund in an Account opened in the Bank in 1996 and since 1998 till
2008/2010 nobody has operated on this Account again, after going through
some old files in the records. I discovered that, the owner of the said
Account died without a [Heir/WILL] hence the Money is floating, and if I do
not remit this Money out urgently, it will be forfeited for nothing.

The Owner of this Account is Mr. George Roland, an American and a great
industrialist in United Kingdom London and a resident of UK, who
unfortunately lost his life in the Plane Crash, Alaska Airlines Flight
No.261, which Crashed on January 31 1998, during his trip vacation to visit
his family in Alaska including his wife and only daughter leaving nobody to
claim this Money.

No other person knows about this Account or anything concerning it, the
Account has no other Beneficiary and my investigation proved to me that, the
Account is a secret Account. The total amount involved is One hundred and
fifty Million United State Dollars) only [$150,000,000.00] and I wish to
transfer this Money into a safe foreign Account abroad. But I don't know any
foreigner; I am only contacting you as a foreigner because this Money cannot
be approved to a local person here, but to a foreigner who has information
about the Account, which I shall give to you upon your positive response. I
am revealing this to you with believe in God that, you will never let me
down in this business, you are the first and the only person that I am
contacting for this business, so please reply urgently so that I will inform
you the next step to take urgently. I need your strong assurance that you
will never let us down.

I will use my position and influence to obtain all legal approvals for
onward transfer of this Money to your Account with appropriate clearance
from the relevant ministries and foreign exchange departments. At the
conclusion of this Business, you will be entitling of 30% of the total
amount, then 70% shall be given to me as the mentor.

Please treat this proposal as a top secret.

I look forward to your earliest reply,
Sincerely,
Dr. Raymond.

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