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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: truevine@zipmail.com.br
Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2005 05:47:40 +0100
Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?TREASURE?=

DEAR Friend,

My name is Mr. Jonathan Ajowin, General Manager Corporate and Investment
Banking Division (South) with Chartered Bank Plc, Nigeria. Lagos-Nigeria.
I came to know about you in my private search for a reliable person/company
to handle a confidential transaction on behalf of my Colleagues and myself.
As a matter of fact, I got your information from the Nigerian Chamber of
Commerce and Industry/Nigerian Export Promotion Council.

l write in respect of a foreign customer with A/C Number: 14-2558-2004,
who unfortunately lost his life in the plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight
261 which crashed on January 31 2000, including his wife and only daughter
leaving him with no immediate family or close relatives.

You shall read more news about the crash on visiting this site;
<http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/02/01/alaska.airlines.list/> The owner of this
account Mr. Morris Thompson an American and great industrialist and a resident
of Alaska.
Since the death of this our customer, Mr. Morris Thompson, I have kept a
close monitoring of the deposit records and accounts since then. Nobody
has come forward to claim the money in this A/C as beneficiary to the late
Mr. Morris Thompson. The total amount in the said account is US$28.2 million
and it is a domiciliary escrow bank account. It is only an insider, the
account owner or a next of kin who has information about the account that
could produce the Code or password of the deposit particulars. The funds
can only be released to a foreigner, as you know it will authenticate your
claim of heirship.
As it stands now, there is nobody in the position to produce the needed
information other than my very self, considering my position in the bank.
Based on the fact that Mr. Thompson's family perished in the same flight
accident, leaving no one to put claim of the deposit as the next of kin,
I am seeking for your consent and honest co-operation to present you as
the next of kin to late Thompson, and arrange for the release of the funds
to your honour for our mutual benefit.

This business will not take more than 10 working days, as long as we get
your full co-operation. If you are willing assist, do write back indicating
so that we may commence as you know that more delays might result in the
money returned to the Treasury of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I am
willing to share this money with you in the ratio of 70 - 30%. You shall
have 30% of the funds and I shall share the rest with my partner at the
bank. I hope this is a fair sharing?

I look forward to hearing from you urgently so that we can proceed accordingly.

Thanks and best Regards.

Mr. J. Ajowin




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