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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: tonysmith2014@yahoo.com.vn
Date: Wed, 03 Aug 2005 19:06:12 -0700
Subject: LETTER FROM SMITH


Dear Friend,


I am Mr. TONY SMITH Bank Manager of Lloyds TSB bank Tower Bridge Road
London. I have urgent and very confidential business proposition for
you.

On June 6, 2000, Mr. Barry Kelly made a numbered time (Fixed) Deposit
for forty-eight months, (being four years) valued at US$40,000,000.00,
(forty Million, Dollars) in my branch.

Upon maturity, I sent a routine notification to his forwarding address
but got no reply. After a month, we sent a reminder and finally we
discovered from his employers, that Mr. Barry Kelly died from tsunami on
his holidays in Thailand 26 December 2004. On further investigation, I
found out that he died without making a WILL and all attempts to trace
his next of kin was fruitless.

I therefore made further investigation and discovered that Mr. Barry
Kelly did not declare any kin or relations in all his official documents,
including his Bank Deposit paperwork in my Bank. This sum of
US$40,000,000 has carefully been moved out of my bank to a security company for
safekeeping.

No one will ever come forward to claim it. According to British Law, at
the expiration of (three) years, the money will revert to the
ownership of the British Government if nobody applies to claim the fund.

Consequently, my proposal is that I will like you to stand in as the
owner of the money I deposited it in a security company in two trunk
boxes though the security company does not know the contents of the boxes
as I tagged them to be photographic materials for export. I am writing
you because I as a public servant (Manager with the bank), I cannot
operate a foreign account or have an account that is more than $1m.

I want to present you as the owner of the boxes in the security company
so you can be able to claim them with the help of my attorney. This is
simple. I will like you to provide immediately your full names and
address so that the Attorney will prepare the necessary documents which
will put you in place as the as the owner of the boxes.

The money will be moved out for us to share in the ratio of 70% for me
and 30% for you. There is no risk at all as all the paperwork for this
transaction will be done by the Attorney and this will guarantees the
successful execution of this transaction.

If you are interested, please reply immediately via my email address
upon your response, I shall then provide you with more details and
relevant documents that will help you understand the transaction.

Please observe utmost confidentiality, and rest assured that this
transaction would be most profitable for both of us because I shall require
your assistance to invest my share in (Buying of properties like
houses, hotels and doing charity works etc)

Please do send me your private/mobile telephone fax number so that we
can have a smooth communication.

Awaiting your urgent reply via my email
tonysmith752002@cheshiremail.com or tonysmith2014@yahoo.com.vn


Thanks and regards.

TONY SMITH


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