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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: james_otobo@zipmail.com.br
Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2005 01:49:15 +0100
Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Re=20urgent=2E?=

From: Mr James Otobo.
Staff, Bill and Exchange,
Foreign Remmittance Dept.
(NBA), Cotonou,
Republic of Benin.

My dear.

With good purpose of heart, I write to seek for your
co-operation and assistance to secure a financial
deposit made by one of our late customers.
I am Mr James Otobo, a staff in bill and exchange at
the foreign remittance department of "NBA Finance house
of Africa Benin" (NBA), Cotonou, Republic of Benin.
In my department, we discovered an abandoned sum of
(US 14.2 M.) in an account that belongs to one of
our foreign customer who died along with his entire
family on 25th December 2003 in a plane crash here in Benin Republic.
Since we got information about his death, we have been
expecting his next of kin to come forward and claim
his money because we cannot release it unless somebody
applies for it as next of kin or relation to the
deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines and
policies but unfortunately we learnt that all his
supposed next of kin or relation died alongside with
him at the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the
claims.
It is therefore upon to this discovery that I decided to
contact you with this proposal, so that you will be
presented as the next of kin to the dead customer, for
the release of the money to you as the next of kin or
relation to the deceased and also for safety and
subsequent disbursement between you and I, since no
body is coming forth and I don?t want this money to go
into the Finance house treasury as unclaimed Bill.
According to our banking policies and guideline here
which stipulates that if such money remained unclaimed
after five years, the money will automatically be
transfered into the Bank treasury as unclaimed fund.
The request of foreigner as next of kin in this
business is occasioned by the fact that the customer
was a foreigner and an Beninois cannot stand as next
of kin to a foreigner.
However, your compensation for this noble assistance
will be negotiated upon your acceptance to help me as
a foreign partner, since you are to provide an account
for the claim. Meanwhile,10% will be set aside for
reimbursement of any expenses made by you and me
during the curse of the transaction. Thereafter I
will visit your Country for disbursement according to
the percentages agreed.
Therefore to enable the immediate trnansfer of this
fund to you as arranged, you must apply first to the
bank as relation or next of kin of the deceased
indicating your bank name, your bank account number,
your private telephone and fax number for easier and
effective communication and location where the money
will be remitted.
Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax
or email the text of the application. I will not fail
to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch
free and that you should not entertain any atom of
fear as all required arrangements have been made for
the transfer and the file of the fund is under my
desk.
You should contact me immediately as soon as you
receive this mail.
Trusting to hear from you immediately.
Your's faithfully,
James Otobo.

You can still get back to me in my private
E-mail:james_otobo@zipmail.com.br





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