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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: "United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <undp_chaowong2@yahoo.com.hk>
Date: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 08:24:10 +0200
Subject: Urgent Concern About Freida J. Briggs

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Sub-Office Of The Senior Regional Administrator (Legal Matters)
9th Floor, Yau Ma Tei Carpark Building,
250 Shanghai Street, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Your Attn -
This message is from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), an organization that partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in 177 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.

On file is your long overdue Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) initiated outstanding gratification payment of Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand US Dollars (US$750,000.00), that was in queue waiting for clearance. Once it was cleared couple days ago, this office received an email from someone named Freida J. Briggs, who claimed that she is your financial advisor and as such, you have given her the Power of Attorney to act on your behalf, in concluding with us the modalities for the transfer of your Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand US Dollars (US$750,000.00), from our pay out bank to her bank account with Standard Bank of Canada. She submitted a letter head document from the bank and her coordinates to our accounts department for immediate transfer of the funds.

Her intrusion into your affair got me particularly startled, because your record in file here does not state her as your next-of-kin, neither is it mentioned that you have nominated anybody to deputize for you, in receiving your funds. This made it look suspicious, that there is a foul play somewhere. However, we had to wait to read from you personally, if there is any truth about this and for you to provide us the right legal documents to buttress the fact that, you actually gave her the Power of Attorney to represent you. We waited anxiously for your update, but there was no word from you, until I saw the latest email from her bank. The message confirmed this socalled Freida J. Briggs, as acting on your behalf to have your funds transferred from our pay out bank to her personal account. Even with the bank's contact with us, we still feel suspicious, that it could be a means of defrauding you by someone who may be aware of this transaction, since we are yet to personally hea
r from you. To this end therefore
Full Names:
Contact Address:
Age:
Sex:
Marital Status:
Occupation and Present Position Held:
Mobile Telephone Number:
Fax (if any):

YOUR URGENT RESPONSE IS NEEDED ASAP.

Chao Wong.
(Administrator).

Anti-fraud resources: