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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: "Michael Smith" <smith220@prolineworld.net>
Reply-To: mbosu1@sify.com
Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2005 02:10:22 +0000
Subject: confidental mail

Dear Friend,

Let me start by introducing myself properly to you. I
am Mr. Michael Smith, I work with the Absa Bank SA as an
account officer in the Treasury/Credit Control Unit. I
came to know you in private search for a reliable and
reputable person to handle this confidential
transaction, which involve the transfer of a huge sum
of money into a foriegn account requiring maximum
confidence.

I must solicit your confidence in this
transaction, this by virtue of its nature that is
utterly confidential and secret. Though I know that a
transaction of this magnitude will make any one
apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that
all will be well at the end of the day. I decided to
contact you due to the fact that this transaction is
urgent, as I will rely on your ability in handling a
transaction of this nature.


THE NATURE OF THE PROPOSITION / TRANSACTION: A
foreigner by name Andreas Schranner , who is a real
estate and property developer by profession does some
his banking transaction with us at Absa Bank and had a
closing balance as at the end of January 2002, which
is worth Fifteen Million United States Dollars .

I was his personal account officer and since he
deposited this money with us in the year 1999, We
were instructed by my late client that the money be
kept and secured in a security and finance firm
because it was less expensive to keep and secure the
funds in the security firm devoid of tax payments.

I am sad to inform you that Mr Andreas Schranner and
his wife died in the ill fated concorde flight AF4590
that crashed into Hotelisimmo on the 31st of July
2000 in Paris-France . check this website below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm

Our bank now expects his Next of Kin to come forward
as a sole beneficiary to his assets with the bank,
mean while, as is personal account officer valuable
efforts has being made by me for more than one year to
get in touch with any of my late client family or
relatives without any success. It is because of the
percieved impossibility of being able to locate any of
my late client Next of Kin as his wife Maria Schranner
and his daughter Eich Andreas perished in the flight
also.

Based on this, I secretly seek advice from a fellow
coleague who has being in banking for about 14 years
now about this issue of my late client , he made me
understand that things like this do happen and at the
end of the day the chairman and board of directors of
the bank will declare the funds as '' Unclaimed '' and
subsequently divert it for thier personal use. In
order to avert this negetive development, I now seek
your permission to have you stand as the Next of Kin
to my late client, so that the funds will be released
and paid into your account as the beneficiary Next of
Kin.

I have already secured from the probate, as soon as I
recieve an acknowledgement of your acceptance, I will
furnish you with the necessary modalities of the
transaction. I assure you that this transcaction is
100% risk free, and as soon as we succeed in getting
this funds to your account, The money will be shared
on a 50-50 basis .

Please forward to me on acceptance of this proposal,
your private telephone and fax number including the
country code and area codes, your complete names,and
private email address for effective communication as
the project will be completed within the next 14
working days.

Thanks.

Best Regards.

Michael Smith


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