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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: "Roland Noil Barbeau" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <noilbroland@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2011 09:47:08 -0400
Subject: Urgent Response

Dear Beloved Friend.

Firstly, I must solicit your confidence in this transaction; this is by virtue of its nature as being utterly confidential and top secret. Though I know that a transaction of this magnitude will make any one apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that all will be well at the end of the day.

Let me start by introducing myself properly to you. It may surprise you receiving this letter from me, since there was no previous correspondence between us. My name is Barrister Roland Noil Barbeau Esq. a personal Attorney to Late Mr, Johnson .

He died along side with his immediate family during the Tsunami Catastrophe which occurred in December 2004, since then all my several enquiries here to locate any of my clients extended relatives, has proved unsuccessful.

Thus I decided to search with his name through the public records; to locate any member of his extended family hence I saw your name. I know you may not be biologically related to him but since you both bear the same surname, I decided to contact you to enable us retrieve this deposit from the security company here in Spain.

Before the catastrophe that claimed his life, he deposited One Trunk box/Diplomatic Personal Treasure containing $13.500.000.00(thirteen Million, Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars Only) with a Safe keeping /finance company here in Spain. And due to security and personal reason, the exact content of the deposited diplomatic box was not disclosed.

The said Safe Keeping / finance company has mandated me to present a member of his family (heir/inheritor) to make claim or the vault will be confiscated and taken to the bureau of Diplomatic Security as unclaimed. With regards to this, I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin to the deceased so that the diplomatic consignment would be released to you and the content is further disbursed on the ratio of 50:50 between us.

All I require of you is your honest co-operation to enable us see this transaction through. I guarantee that this transaction would be executed under legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. You can get across to me via Email for further clarification. Do get back to me as well even when you are not willing to collaborate with me so as to further my search for another partner.

Kindest Regards

Barrister Roland Noil Barbeau Esq

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