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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.

 

 

Fraud email example:

From: sule_dantata<sule_dantata@tatanova.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2004 22:44:11 +0530
Subject: FROM MR. RICHARD WILLIAMS

ATTENTION PLEASE! THIS IS NOT A SPAM MAIL:


WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, I GUESS MY LETTER WILL NOT EMBARRASS YOU, SINCE
HAS NO PREVIOUS CORRESPONDENCE WITH YOU. I GOT YOUR CONTACT THROUGH THE
FOREIGN TRADE OFFICE OF THE NIGERIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS. I
TRONGLYBELIEVED, I WOULD NOT REGRET APPROACHING YOU IN THIS MATTER .
IT IS MY BELIEF THAT I CANNOT CONTINUE LEAVING A MONOTONOUS AND
UNAMBITOUS EXISTENCE; THE KIND OF LIFE THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF
YOUNG MENLIVES, WHO HAVE NO PROSPECT AND WHO WILL BE DOING THE SAME THING IN
ANOTHER TWENTY YEARS TIME AS THEY ARE DOING NOW. I AM MR. RICHARD WILLIAMS,
CHIEF AUDITOR-GENERAL CONTINENTAL TRUST BANK LIMITED, ENUGU MAIN BRANCH.

FOR REASONS WHICH WILL COME TO LIGHT AS YOU READ ON. I OBTAINED YOUR
ADDRESS PARTICULARLY FOR THE SAKE OF THIS BUSINESS PROPOSITION.PLEASE
EXERCISE SOME PATIENCE AND READ THROUGH MY MESSAGE.I HAVE A VERY URGENT AND
CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS TO PROPOSE TO YOU.
ON THURSDAY JUNE 6TH 2000, AN OIl CONSULTANT/CONTRACTOR WITH THENIGERIA
OIL MINISTRY, MR. YOUSEFF ABDULLAH, AN IRAQI NATIONAL,MADE A NUMBERED
TIME FIXED DEPOSIT FOR TWELVE CALENDAR MONTHS, VALUE US$8 MILLION DEPOSIT IN
MY BRANCH.
ON MATURITY, WE SENT A ROUTINE NOTIFICATION TO HIS FORWARDING ADDRESS
BUT GOT NO REPLY.AFTER A MONTH, WE SENT A REMINDER AND FINALLY, HIS
EMPLOYERS,WROTE TO INFORM US THAT MR. ABDULLAH DIED IN AN AUTO MOBILE
ACCIDENT. THAT HE DIED WITHOUT MAKING A WILL WHILE ATTEMPT TO TRACE HIS NEXT OF KIN THROUGH THE IRAQ EMBASSY PROVED FRUITLESS.

AT FIRST, I WAS SURPRISED THAT I DID NOT RECEIVE MUCH OFFICIAL
CO-OPERATION IN MY ENQUIRIES IN ORDER TO TRACE HIS KIN IN IRAQ AND
INFORM THEM ABOUT MR.ABDULLAH?S DEPOSIT OF US$8.4 MIILLION PLUS ACCRUED
INTEREST. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT MR. ABDULLAH WAS ACTIVELY OPPOSED
TO IRAQ GOVERNMENT OF LEAD BY THE FORMER PRESIDENT SADDAM HUSSEIN OF IRAQ
AS A RESULT, HE WAS DRIVEN INTO EXILE. BEING AN OIL EXPERT, MR.ABDULLAH
SUBSEQUENTLY OBTAINED A JOB IN NIGERIA HERE, AND SETTLED IN NIGERIA.

THEREAFTER HE WALKED INTO MY OFFICE TO MAKE THE AFORE-MENTIONED
DEPOSITOF US$8 MILLION. HE DID NOT DECLARE HIS KIN IN HIS APPLICATION
PAPER WORK. WHEN I ASKED HIM, HE INFORMED ME THAT HE WISHED IT SO.IN THE
CONSERVATIVE MANNER OF OUR BANK.
MY EMPLOYER), I DID NOT TURN DOWN HIS WISH BUT RATHER HONOURED IT
ESPECIALLY GIVEN HIS HIGH NET WORTH. IN REALITY,NO ONE KNOWS THE SOURCE
OF HIS MONEY SINCE APPARENTLY, THE TIME FRAME OF HIS EMPLOYMENT HERE DOES
INDEED PRECLUDE SUCH A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY. IT IS THEREFORE PRESUMED THAT HE
BROUGHT IN HIS MONEY FROM IRAQ ALTHOUGH THIS IS OPEN TO SPECULATION. THE POINT
HOWEVER IS THAT THE EMPLOYERS ARE NOT AWARE OF HIS MONEY,THEREFORE ONE CAN
SAFELY INFER THAT NO ONE WILL EVER COME TO THIS MONEY.

THIS FUND,TOTALLING US$8.4 M(INCLUSIVE OF ACCRUED INTEREST) IS STILL
SITTING IN MY BANKS DORMANT ACCOUNT PORTFOLIO. ACCORDING TO NIGERIA
BANKING LAWS AND ACT OF 1993,THE MONEY WILL AUTOMATICALLY REVERT TO THE NIGERIA
GOVERNMENT TREASURY AFTER FIVE YEARS, ESPECIALL IF THE ACCOUNT OWNER IS A
FOREIGNER WHO HAS BEEN CERTIFIED DEAD AND THERE IS NO VALID CLAIM, THIS INDEED,
IS THE SITUATION. I AM THUS LOOKING FOR A FOREIGNER WHO WILL STAND-IN AS
THE NEXT OF KIN TO MR. ABDULLAH.IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO BE A BLOOD RELATION
TO MR.ABDULLAH, EITHER IS IT NECESSARY TO BEAR THE SAME SURNAME WITH HIM.
IT IS EVEN NOT IMPORTANT FOR THE STAND-IN NEXT OF KIN TO BE AN IRAQ
NATIONAL.READY, I HAVE WORKED OUT MODALITIES FOR ACHIEVING MY AIM OF
APPOINTING A NEXT OF KIN AS WELL AS TRANSFER THE MONEY ABROAD FOR US TOSHARE. IT
IS MY INTENTION TO ACHIEVE THIS TRANSFER IN A LEGITIMATE WAY BY SIMPLY
USING AND ATTORNEY(REPRESENTING YOU AS BENEFICIARY) TO EXECUTE A SERIES OF
AFFIDAVITS IN SUPPORT OF OUR CLAIM THIS WILL BE APPROVED.
THE MONEY TRANSFER PAPER WORK ITSELF WILL INCLUDE A CERTIFICATE OF
ORIGIN SO THAT THE RECEIVING BANK DOES NOT ASK QUESTION OR WORSE STILL
REFUSE THE FUND ACCEPTANCE ON GROUND OF LAUNDERING. ALSO, THE PAPER WORK WILL
INCLUDE PROPER CERTIFICATION THAT THE FUND BEING TRANSFERRED IS FROM
NON-CRIMINAL SOURCES.IN SHORT THIS WILL BE A PROPER AND LEGALMONEY TRANSFER WITH
APPARENTLY NO RISK INVOLVED! THE ATTORNEY WILL HAVE TO PROCESS THE INITIAL PAPER WORK TO OBTAIN APPROVAL FROM THE
PROBATEREGISTRY OF THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE FOR THE LETTER OF ADMINISTRATION EMPOWERING
YOU AS THE SOLE TRUSTEE/EXECUTOR TO THE ESTATE OF MR. ABDULLAH.
IF YOU THEREFORE AGREE TO BE THE OFFICIAL BENEFICIARY,THEN PLEASE NOTE
THAT YOU WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TO SIGN ANY MONEY RANSFER DOCUMENTS,AS THE
APPOINTED ATTORNEY WILL DO ALL THAT. ALSO, YOU WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TO VISIT NIGERIA.I WILL ALSO NEED THE ABOVE INFORMATION ONCE I HAVE THE
REQUIRED INFORMATION AS ABOVE, I WILL INITIATE THE PROCESSING OF THE
TRANSFER, AND IN ABOUT TEN (10)WORKING DAYS, THE FUND WILL BE INYOUR NOMINATED
BANK ACCOUNT FOR US TO SHARE IN THE RATIO OF: 65%FOR ME 30% FOR YOU WHILE 5%
HAS BEEN SET ASIDE FOR LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL EXPENSES. THE TRANSACTION IS
GUARANTEED TO SUCCEED WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS.
AS SOON AS I HEAR FROM YOU, I SHALL PROVIDE YOU WITH FURTHER
CLARIFICATION THAT YOU MAY NEED.
I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR URGENT REPLY.
BEST WISHES,
MR. RICHARD WILLIAMS

NOTE:IN THE EVENT YOU ARE NOT WILLINGLY TO ASSIST,
KINDLY NOTIFY ME TO PREVENT ME FROM MAKING FURTHER CONTACT.


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