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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: "Mr John Obi" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mrjohncbn@excite.com>
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2012 00:24:49 -0500
Subject: PAYMENT NOTIFICATION !!!

Attention Beneficiary,

You have been issued a payment notice of $18.5Million from the Central Bank; you are to reply with your mailing address, telephone/fax number, Bank Account details and a copy of your verifiable ID for verification and transfer.


Regards

Mr. John Obi
Director, Transfer Unit
Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN).
Tel/Fax: +234 1 821 1156




Official memo of the Central Bank of Nigeria © 2012
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DISCLAIMER
The information in this email and any attachments may contain proprietary and confidential information of the Central Bank that is intended for the addressee(s) only. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution, retention or use of the contents of this information is prohibited. When addressed to our clients or vendors, any information contained in this e-mail or any attachments is subject to the terms and conditions in any governing contract. If you have received this e-mail in error, please immediately contact the sender and delete the e-mail.

Anti-fraud resources: