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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: "williams koffi" <williams_koffi@walla.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: williams_koffi112000@yahoo.com
Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2005 21:17:49 +0100
Subject: HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU.

Dear One,
Good-day.

I can't imagine how you will feel receiving a sudden business letter from a remote country in far away West Africa and probably from some one you have not closely related with. But all the same, I believe we do not need to be of blood relatives before we can establish cordial/business relationship. Having said this, I think it is very important at this juncture to introduce myself to you and also disclose to you, how I came in contact with your email address/profile.

My name is Mr Williams koffi, I am the district(Foreign operations) manager of Bank of African Benin Republic, Head Office branch. I got your email address from the Internet. It is my pleasure to solicit your assistance in this business proposal. I am contacting you because I do not want to transact the business with anybody who is known to any staff of this bank or anybody around here to avoid any possible blackmail or leakage at the end of the transaction.

THE PROPOSAL:
There is an account in this bank of African Benin, which was opened in 1982 by one MR. DUCKSON FRITZ , an Australian National, who was a Road Contractor in Benin and since 1990 nobody has operated on this account. I had a very careful study of the account files through which I carried an extensive investigation about the holder of the said account and found out that MR. DUCKSON FRITZ suddenly died in a plane crash in 1990 thereby abandoning the account, having been fictitious regards the information he submitted to this bank at the time of establishment of the account. The account at this moment has no inheritance since the name MR. DUCKSON FRITZ filled, as his relations has no contact information in the form he submitted to the bank. I have secretly removed all the relevant files to the account from the dormant section so that bank auditors will not verify the abandoned money and refer it to Federal Treasury Account . the said amount is US$28 million
dollars.

My Dear Friend, the deal here is that the money in this account will be approved and remitted to any foreigner who shows up as relation to MR. DUCKSON FRITZ provided such person has correct information to the account. I have such needed information and will hand it over to you as soon as we commence the transaction.

I will source all necessary documents and forward them to you for direct submission to the bank. With my position as the foreign operations manager we will quietly remove this money from the bank without hitches. I don't have any problem in regularizing all necessary documents and transferring the credit balance of the said account to your nominated bank account in overseas, but the problem is trust.

I have spent months in trying to get an overseas reliable contact. It is worthy to note that people are unreliable these days and even derive joy in telling lies. On this ground I request your unreserved but sincere cooperation devoid of greed in carrying out this transaction so that no one amongst both of us shall defraud each other at the end. I am prepared to split at 60%---40% for you, provided that mine (60%) will be intact at the end. Please get back to me via email as a matter of urgency.

Awaits for your expected co-operation.
Best regards,
Williams koffi
Duely reply immediately via the above E-mail address:(williams_koffi112000@yahoo.com)


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