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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: "Mr. Giwa Osagie" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <bgiwaosagie020@yahoo.com.ph>
Date: Sat, 4 May 2013 03:39:39 +0200
Subject: From: Mr. Giwa Osagie.

Law Chamber Principal Attorney
Giwa Osagie & Associates
44, Kofo Abayomi Avenue,
Victoria Island,
Lagos-Nigeria.
 
Dear Friend,
 
I am Barrister Giwa Osagie, a Solicitor. I am the Personal Attorney to Mr. Mark B.Rowlee. Who used to work with Shell Petroleum Development Company in Nigeria. On the 21st of April 2004, his wife and their three children were involved in a car accident along Sagamu Express Road.
 
Unfortunately, they all lost their lives in the event of the accident.
Since then I have made several enquiries to your Embassy to locate any of my client's relatives, this has also proved unsuccessful. After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to trace his relatives over the Internet to locate any member of his family but to no avail, hence, I contacted you to assist in repatriating the money left behind by my client in a Bank. Fortunately, the Finance House where the deceased deposited the (US$16.522) Sixteen Million, Five Hundred And Twenty Two Thousand United States Dollars, knows me very well and has ask me to present some one to claim the fund left by  my late client as they all know I am his attorney.
 
Consequently, the Bank has issued me a notice to provide the Next of Kin to claim the US$16.522 (Sixteen Million, Five Hundred and Twenty Two Thousand United States Dollars) in their custody within the next ten official working days. Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over the years now, I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin of the deceased to claim the fund as the Next of Kin to him so that the fund will be transferred to your account by the Bank.
 
Upon receipt of the fund, I will come over to your country to meet with you for the disbursement of the fund and then you and I will share the money in this order: 60% will be for me, 40% will be for you. I have all the necessary legal documents that can back our claim we may make with the Bank.
 
All I require is your honest co-operation to enable us seeing this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law.  Further details shall be given to you immediately I hear from you.
 
Yours Sincerely.
Barrister Giwa Osagie.

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