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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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Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. S. Charles" <sicharles@zwallet.com> (may be fake)
Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2005 18:59:39 +0100
Subject: NEXT OF KIN / BENEFICIARY

Dear Partner,

Compliment of the Season and I wish you the very best this New Year.

My name is Mr. S Charles. (A British Citizen), I work in a bank here in UK
with a corresponding office in Germany.

I am contacting you on business transfer of a huge sum of money from a
deceased account, though I know that a transaction of this magnitude will
make anyone apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that all will be
well at the conclusion of this transaction.

I decided to contact you due to the urgency of this transaction, when I got
your contact through my private search on the Internet.

PROPOSITION.

I am the account officer of a foreigner named Mr & Mrs. Raymond Beck who
died in a plane crash of 31 October, 1999 on board with an Egyptian Airline
990 alongside with other passengers.

Please consult the Cable News Network (CNN) website below for verification.

http://www.cnn.com/US/9911/02/egyptair990.list/index.html
or
http://216.157.75.11/discus/messages/1073/400.html?1086886167

Since his death, none of his NEXT OF KIN or relations has come forward to
lay claims to this money as the heir. The bank cannot release the fund from
his account unless someone applies for claim as the NEXT OF KIN to the
deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines.

Upon this discovery, I now seek your permission to have you stand as the
NEXT OF KIN to the deceased, as all documentations to back you up will be
carefully worked out. And the funds US$35Millions will be released in your
favor as the Beneficiary's / Next of Kin to the deceased.

It may interest you to know that I have secured from the probate an order of
mandamus to locate any of deceased Beneficiaries, because after four to five years the
money will be called back to the bank treasury as unclaimed bills and the
money will be shared amongst the Directors of the Bank.

So it is on this Note I decided to seek for whom his or her name shall be
used as the Next of Kin / Beneficiary to this funds rather than allow the
Bank Directors to share this money amongst themselves.

If you are willing to carry out this deal with me, please endeavour to
furnish me the following information: -

1. Your first and last names
2. Complete mailing address
3. Direct Telephone and fax numbers.
4. Age, Sex and Marital Status.

These requirements will enable me file a Letter of Claim to the appropriate
departments for necessary approvals in your favor before the transfer can be
made.

I shall be compensating you with 20% of the whole funds on final conclusion
of this project for your assistance, and 10% set aside for any expenses incured by both of
us wihle 70% shall be for me, for investment purposes, because I intend to retire from active
service after the conclusion of this transaction.

If this proposal is acceptable by you, do not take undue advantage of the trust I have bestowed
in you, reply immediately to my private emailbox: shercharles@zwallet.com

Once again, Happy New Year and I hope to read from you soon.

Best regards,
Mr. Charles



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