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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: "Dale St Jones"<info@italy-property.it>
Reply-To: jhnbrowns1@gmail.com
Date: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 12:22:16 -0700
Subject: HELLO..

Hello .

Firstly, for avoidance of doubt I would like to introduce myself to
you. I am Inspector Dale St. Jones, Personal Assistant to Mr. James
Ratigan the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Pyramid Bank Of
Africa. My schedule of duties covers security of all outgoing
remittance.

This is to inform you of your long overdue Payment outstanding our
Banking records. Our remittance department saw your name in the Central Computer among list of unpaid inheritance claims individuals and has to update your information through this email contact for immediate confirmation.

Your name and email appeared among the beneficiaries who will receive
payment this month of August as we are about balancing middle of the
year records and we are at the verge of closing quota for the
financial fiscal month of August 2014 so every unclaimed funds has to
be paid out to the beneficiaries or returned to Government Treasury as
unclaimed funds and the amount attached to your name is $9.5 Million
which originated from one Mrs. Katrin Bergmann that died in the United
States as a result of breast cancer.

However we received an email from one Barrister Patrick Wallace and
Mr. George Edwards and the content of their email is that Mr. George
Edwards is your next of kin and that you died in a car accident last
month in your country. They also submitted Bank Account information to
our remittance department for transfer of the fund to Mr. George
Edwards as your inheritor.

We are now verifying by contacting your email address as we have in
our computer records before we can make the transfer into his account and for us to be sure that you are truly dead.

That is why I was invited by our remittance department as the
Security Personnel in-charge of outgoing remittance to contact you and investigate if you are really dead or alive which is why I'm writing you myself as we are suspecting that you are still alive, hence your email address is still valid.

However, if we do not get a response from you, we shall
consider you to be dead as Barrister Patrick Wallace and Mr. Edwards
have claimed and our remittance department will proceed in making the
transfer into the bank account they have provided. But if this
investigation proves that you are still alive by hearing from you,
Barrister Patrick Wallace and Mr. Edwards will be arrested under a
directed order from (BRIPS)Benin Republic International Police Service
and your rightful money will be transferred into the bank account you will provide us with following below.

(1) Your Full Name:
(2) Full residential address:
(3) Phone And Fax Number:
(4) Age:
(5) Sex:

I believe this is enough to gain your response if you are still alive.

Thanks.

Yours in service,

Inspector Dale St Jones,
Personal Assistant to Mr. James Ratigan
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
Pyramid Bank Of Africa.
+229-688-42-643

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