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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: "Peter Abbot" <abbotpeter175@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: abbotpeter175@yahoo.co.in
Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 06:25:44 -0800
Subject: Mr. Peter Abbot.

Greetings to you,

I got your contact during my search for a reliable, trust worthy and honest
person to introduce this transfer project with. My name is Mr. Peter Abbot.
I am the manager of the International Commercial Bank Ghana, First Light
Branch Accra. I am a Ghanaian married with two kids.

I am writing to solicit your assistance in the noble transfer of USD
2,500,000.00. This fund is the excess of what my branch in which I am the
manager made as profit during the last year. I have already submitted an
approved End of the last Year report for the year 2004 to my Head Office
here in Accra and they will never know of this Excess. I have since then,
placed this amount of USD 2,500,000.00 (Two Million Five hundred Thousand
United States Dollars) on a SUSPENCE ACCOUNT without a beneficiary.

As an officer of the bank, I cannot be directly connected to this money thus
I am impelled to request for your assistance to receive this money into your
bank account. I intend to part 30% of this fund to you while 70% shall be
for me. I do need to stress that there are practically no risk
involved in this. It is going to be a bank-to-bank transfer to your
nominated bank account anywhere you feel safer. All I need from you is to
stand as the original depositor of this fund.

I will appreciate your timely response.

Regards,

Mr. Peter Abbot.


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