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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: "david garfield" (may be fake)
Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:43:54 -0700
Subject: good project






FROM THE DESK OF MR.GARFIELD DAVID,
INTERNATIONAL REMMITTANCE DEPARTMENT
LA CAIXA BANK MADRID, SPAIN

Dear sir/madam

I am the manager of INTERNATIONAL REMMITTANCE DEPARTMENT OF LACAIXA BANK, SPAIN However, I was asked to audit the bank and there i discovered an abandoned sum of US$7m dollars (SEVEN MILION US DOLLARS) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer (MR.SCHMUCK DAVIS from London, United Kingdom) who died along with his entire family in July 2000 in a plane crash.For more information about the crash you can visit this site:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm

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 some body applies for it as next of kin or relations to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidlings and laws but unfortunately we learnt that all his supposed next of kin or relation died alongside with him at the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim. It is therefore upon this discovery that I now decided to make this business proposal to you and release the money to you as the 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 bill.

The banking law and guidline here stipulates that if such money remained unclaimed after Ten years, the money will be transfered into the bank treasury as unclaimed fund. The request of foreigner as next of kin in this business is occassioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and as a Malaysian Citizen cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner.

I agree that 40% of this money will be for you as a respect to the provision of a foriegn account , 10% will be set aside for expenses incurred during the business and 50% would be for me. Thereafter, I will visit your country for disbursement according to the percentage indicated Therefore, to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to you arranged,you must apply first to the bank as relation or next of kin of the deceased with a text of application form that i will send to you when i hear from you,so i will like you to send to me your private telephone and fax number for easy and effective communication and location where in the money will be remitted.

Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or email the text of the application . I will not fail to bring to your notice this transaction is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any atom of fear as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer. You should contact me immediately as soon as you receive this letter.

I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO RECEIVE YOUR RETURN MAIL .

1. NAME IN FULL:..................................
2.ADDRESS:...........................................
3.NATIONALITY:....................................
4. AGE:..................................................
5. Sex....................................................
6.OCCUPATION:.....................................
7.MARITALSTATUS:...............................
8. PHONE................................................
9. FAX:.................................................

I shall send you the details and necessary procedures with which to make the transfer if you are interested.

Please respond quickly at garfield_david2000@mail.kz


Trusting to hear from you immediately.

Yours Faithfully,
MR.GARFIELD DAVID






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