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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: "Joseph Kodo" <josephkodo@centralbanknigplc.org>
Reply-To: josephkodo1@hotmail.com
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 2005 21:49:56 +0000
Subject: REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

Attn:

REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

First, I must solicit your confidence in this transaction. This is by virtue
of its nature as being utterly confidential and top secret. You have been
recommended by an associate who assured me in confidence of your ability and
reliability to prosecute a transaction of great magnitude,requiring maximum
confidence. We are top officials of the Federal Government Contract Review
Panel who are interested in the importation of goods into our country with
funds which are presently trapped in Nigeria. In order to commence this
business we solicit your assistance to enable us transfer into your account
the said trapped funds.The source of this fund is as follows: During the
defunct Military Regime here in Nigeria,

The government officials set up companies and awarded themselves contract
which were grossly over-invoiced in various Ministries.The present Civilian
Government constituted a Contract Review Panel and we have identified a lot
of inflated contract funds which are presently floating in the Central Bank
of Nigeria (CBN). However, by virtue of our position as civil servants and
members of this Panel, we cannot acquire this money in our names(as we are
not privilage,by law to own/operate foreign accounts). I have therefore,
been delegated as a matter of trust by my colleaguesof the Panel,to look for
an Overseas partner into whose account we would transfer the sum of
26,400,000.00 (Twenty Six Million, Four Hundred Thousand US.dollars). Hence
we are writing you this letter, we have agreed to share the money thus:

1. 30% for the account owner (you)
2. 60% for us (the officials)
3. 10% to be used in settling taxation and allocal and foreign expenses.

It is from this 60% that we wish to commence the importation business,
please note that this transaction is 100% safe and we hope to commence the
transfer latest in ten (10) banking days from the date of receipt of the
following information by email.

i.Your Contact Adrresss
ii.Your Direct Tel/Fax Numbers.

The above information will enable us write letters of claim and job
description respectively. This way we will use your company's name to apply
for payments and re-award the contract in your company's name. We are
looking forward to doing business with you and solicit your confidentiality
in this transaction. Please acknowledge the receipt of this letter using the
above Email address, for more information about the deal. I will bring you
into the complete picture of this pending project when I have heard from
you.

I await your response.

Yours Faithfully,
Alhaji Joseph Kodo.


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