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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: "james coker" <jamescoker_120@msn.com>
Reply-To: jamescoker@worldemail.com
Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2006 12:25:21 +0000
Subject: THANKS.

James Coker
Union Bank of London Plc
Laurence Pountney Hill
London EC4R 0HH

Dear Sir,

I am James Coker, Branch Manager Union Bank of London plc, Laurence
Pountney Hill, London. I have an urgent and very profitable business
proposition for you that should be handled with extreme confidentiality.
On January 12, 1997 a Consultant and contractor with the British Water
Corporation Mr. Sean Burke by name made a numbered time Fixed Deposit
for twelve calendar months valued at US$20.9M (Twenty Million, Nine
Hundred thousand United States Dollars Only) in my branch.
Upon maturity I sent a routine notification in accordance with the Bank
Policies to his forwarding address but got no reply. After a month we
Sent a reminder and finally we discovered from his contract employers
British
Water Corporation that Mr. Sean Burke died in the Korean Air
Flight {801}, which crashed in Guam, on August 6, 1997.
http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9708/06/guam.passenger.list
On further investigation, we found out that he died without making a
Will and all attempts to trace his next of kin were fruitless. I
Therefore made further investigations and discovered that Mr. Sean
Burke did not declare any next of kin or relations in his entire official
documents including his Bank Deposit paperwork in my Bank.
This sum of US$20.9M has been carefully moved out of my bank to a
Financial and Security Company for safekeeping.
No one will ever come forward to claim it and according to the Law of
My country, at the expiration of 10 years the money will revert to the
Ownership of the British Government, if nobody applies to claim the Fund.
We decided to contact you to assist me receive his money for safe
Keeping and investments on his behalf as everything will be taken over
by the government as provided in section 129 sub 63(N), British Banking
Edit of 1961.
This prompted us to contact you. We want to front you as the next of
kin of our late client thereby making you the legal beneficiary of the sum
of
$20.9 million U.S Dollars that is presently in a Financial and
Security Company.
I contacted you because it is against the civil service code of ethics
to own and operate foreign accounts and your assistance would be needed
to claim the money in the Financial and Security Company The
Transaction is 100% legal and totally free of risks as all modalities
has
been perfected to ensure the hitch free success of the transaction.
Upon my receipt of your reply confirming your willingness
to assist me of this transaction, I will immediately arrange and
transfer all the rights of ownership of this fund to your name to
facilitate your easy clearance and transfer of the complete funds to
your country.
You have nothing to worry about, as I will be there to assist you in
anyway necessary with all proper documentation.
If you are interested, send all possible suggestions and interest to it
to reply as soon as possible so that we can proceed.

I await your response urgently.

Yours Faithfully,

James Coker.


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