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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: "Engr.John Lambo" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <johnlambo15@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2010 20:23:59 -0700
Subject: FUND INVESTMENT ASSISTANCE

From the Desk of:
ENGR. JOHN LAMBO Executive Director,
Project Implementation,
Budget & Finance, Pipelines and Products
Marketing Company (PPMC)
ATTN: THE PRESIDENT/CEO
                                                         FUND INVESTMENT ASSISTANCE
It is my great pleasure in writing you this letter on behalf of myself and my colleagues. I have been mandated by my colleagues to look for a reliable and reputable foreign partner/trustee. I got to know of you from the Nigerian Export Promotion Council Foreign Exhibition.
We are handicapped in this deal because the Civil Service Code of Conduct does not allow public servants like us to operate offshore account, hence your importance in the whole transaction.
It is my pleasure to introduce my humble self to you. I'm Engr. John Lambo - a staff of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (P.P.M.C) a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corpo ration (NNPC). I am Executive Director, Project Implementation Budget and Finance of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC).
In my Ministry where I work as an Executive Director, we awarded a contract to foreign contracting firm, which we the officials over-invoiced and  deliberately increased, although the actual contract cost have been paid to the original contractor, leaving the balance of US$15,750,000.00 (Fifteen Million Seven Hundred & Fifty Thousand US Dollars Only) which we have gotten approval to remit to foreign bank account you will provide by filling in an Application through my Ministry for the Transfer of Rights and Privileges of the former contractor to you, since we are Civil Servants, we are prohibited/barred by the law to operate or own foreign account.
We are seeking your assistance in providing a good bank account into which we can remit this fund by acting as our main partner/trustee or sub-contractor, upon application for claim to reflect the payment and approvals to be secured on your behalf.
We proposed to you as Partner/Trustee of the Fund that we intend to invest into real estate and capital market in your country. Upon your response and indication to assist us, I will disclose to you the dossier of the transaction as soon as I receive your oath of trust and your acceptance such as the terms and mode of sharing as compensation for your expected assistance for the transfer of the fund and investment of the fund. All logistics are in place and all modalities worked out for a smooth conclusion of this transaction within the next few working days of commencement. Contact me on this my Confidential Tel: 234-805-405-3936 ,234-813-517-9777,  and with this Security Code: "DHL" that will be confirmed to you by me before opening up for conversation for security reasons since we are highly placed Government Officials and would want to keep this strictly confidential.
Please insist on the confirmation of the Security Code before discussion with me, so as to indicate your willingness in assisting us so that I can elaborate to you the procedures for the transaction. I am at your disposal to entertain any question(s) from you with respect to this transaction. So, contact me immediately through my confidential telephone numbers as indicated above for further information on the requirements and procedures for this transaction.
The transaction itself is 100% risk-free and highly classified provided you treat it with utmost confidentiality.  I have the authority to let you know that 20% of the fund will be given to you for your expected assistance
Include your telephone/fax numbers for effective communications.
Treat with utmost urgency and confidentiality.
Yours faithfully,
ENGR. JOHN LAMBO
Executive Director (PPMC)

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