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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. Stephen Higgins" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <stephhiggins@outlook.com>
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 11:12:55 +0700
Subject: RE: FROM MR. STEPHEN HIGGINS, REPLY ME BACK NOW

 
Dear Friend,
I am Mr. Stephen Higgins and a personal Accountant/executive board of Directors with Cambodia Mekong bank Public Limited Phnom Penh Office. It is with good spirit of heart I opened up this great opportunity to you. A deceased client of mine that shares almost the same name as yours died as a result of heart-related condition on March 12th 2005. His heart condition was due to the death of all the members of his family in the tsunami disaster on the 26th December 2004 in Sumatra Indonesia where they all lost their lives. More info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake_and_tsunami)
There is a draft account opened in my bank in 1999 by a long-time client of our bank, a national of your country. he was a CEO/a textile company owner, business man, a miner at Kruger mining company here in Cambodia, he was also a geologist and a mining consultant to several other mining conglomerates operating in Cambodia, china, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Vietnam all in Asia, before he passed away on the March 12th 2005, leaving nobody as the next of kin of his account after his death.
The amount in this account is currently $29, 576, 270.00 (Twenty Nine Million Five Hundred and Seventy Six Thousand Two Hundred and Seventy United states Dollars). I want to present you as the beneficiary, I will use my position and influence in our bank to make sure they release this money to you for us to share. if I wait for days and if I do not hear from you, I shall look for another person.
Kindly get back to me for more details.
Mr. Stephen Higgins
Banking Executive
Cambodia Mekong
Bank Public Limited
 

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