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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

 

 

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "suleman wakara" <suleman_wakara003@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 10:35:17 +0000
Subject: URGENT REPLY NEEDED.

FROM Mr SULEMAN WAKARA.
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT.
FOREIGN REMITTANCE DEPT.
BANK OF AFRICA (BOA)
OUAGA-BURKINA FASO
TELEPHONE +226-76-60-94-42.


Dear Friend,

With presumed reliance, let me introduce myself. My name is Mr Suleman
Wakara. I am the auditing and accounting officer of Bank of africa (BOA). I
got your contact over the Internet in my search for the relatives of one of
our numerous customers who died alongside with his family in an air crash.

During the routine check in my branch, I discovered an abandoned sum of
fourty million united states dollars,(USD$40m). in an account belonging to
an expatriate customer Mr. Gene Billings, a mining consultant/contractor
with one of the leading oil company in Ouaga-Burkina Faso before his
accidental death on Saturday 4Th May 2002 in Nigeria via the ill-fated EAS
Airline crash. You may visit the following websites to read more about the
incident.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1968616.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1968300.stm
http://www.usafricaonline.com/ngrkanocrash.html

Ever since then, valuable efforts have been made to get to his people but to
no avail, as he had no known relatives and more so, he used his wife's name
as his next of kin in his account opening forms. I have been expecting his
relatives to come over to claim his money as it cannot be claimed unless
somebody applies officially for it as his next of kin as indicated in our
banking guide but no avail. Unfortunately, I discovered that his supposed
next of kin (his wife and children) died with him over the plane crash
incident. Over the years, I decided to look for the necessary papers
relating to the deposit in order to make business out of it as the deposit
was made in my branch. Now that all papers are ready, I am asking for your
assistant to release the money to you as his relation/next of kin for
safekeeping and subsequent disbursement. I know that a transaction of this
magnitude will make any one apprehensive but I am assuring you of the
Security of us all as modalities have been perfected for a swift and smooth
operation.

You are being contacted because Since nobody showed up for his money and I
don't want it to go back into Burkina Faso Government account as unclaimed
bill when the next audit is conducted. The banking law and guideline here
stipulates that such money if remain unclaimed, will be transferred into
banking treasury as unclaimed effect. The request of a foreigner to act as
next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was
a foreigner and a citizen of Burkina Faso cannot stand as next of kin to a
foreigner. You are most qualified in this transaction as you share the same
name with the deceased. I am ready to negotiate the mode of sharing with
you. I will visit your country for the disbursement/investing of my share
according to the percentages we shall agree upon after the successful
transfer of the money to your account.

I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is 100%
hitch-free and that there is absolutely no risk in it, having concluded the
modalities for a smooth operation and my position in the bank guarantees its
successful execution. All I require is your honest co-operation, a guarantee
of your sincerity and capability to enable us conclude this deal. Note
however that the sensitive nature of this transaction demands that you have
to keep it absolutely confidential.

Please accept my apologies, keep my confidence and disregard this letter if
you do not appreciate this proposition. Thank you very much for your time.

Trusting to hear from you immediately,
Yours faithfully,

Best regards,
Mr Suleman Wakara.

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