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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: "geoffrey wilson" <gefreywilson@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: geoffrewilson@hotmail.com
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 16:55:33 +0000
Subject: Good day

Good day,

I am Geoffrey Wilson, staff of International Private Banking. I am
contacting you concerning a deceased Customer and an investment he placed
under our banks Management Five years ago. I would respectfully Request that
you keep the contents of this mail Confidential and respect the integrity of
the Information you come by as a result of this mail.

I contacted you independently of our investigation and No one is informed of
this communication. I would like to intimate you with certain facts that I
believe would be of interest to you. In 1999, Mr. Andreas Schranner came to
our bank to engage in business Discussions with our private banking division
which Later led to a deposition of Thirty Two Million Seven Hundred Thousand
United States Dollars, which he Wished to have us turn over (invest) on his
behalf.

The favored route in my advice to customers is to start by assessing data on
6000 traditional stocks and Bond managers and 2000 managers of alternative
Investments. Based on my advice, we spun the money around various
opportunities and made attractive Margins In mid June 2000, he asked that
the money be Liquidated because he needed to make an urgent Investment
requiring cash payments in the United States of America. In July of that
same year, tragedy struck when a Concorde AF4590 Plane crashed killing our
client with the remaining 108 passengers. For more Information see BBC News
on--http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm.

This was five years ago and no claim has been made by Any heir and failing
to receive viable claims the bank Will most probably claim the deposit and
the portfolio Will be out of my hands and out of the Private Banking
Division. What I wish to relate to you will smack of Unethical practice but
I want you to understand something. It is only an outsider to the banking
world who finds the internal politics of the banking world Aberrational. The
world of private banking especially is fraught with huge rewards for those
who occupy certain offices and oversee certain portfolios. You should have
begun by now to put together the general Direction of what I propose. I
alone have the relevant Details to make you a Business Partner to the
Deceased.

This bank has spent great amounts of money trying to Track this man’s
family; they have investigated for Months and have found no family left for
claimant. The Investigation has almost come to an end. My proposal (Should
you accept); I am prepared to place you in a Position where the funds can
your inheritance as his Business partner which gives you legal rights over
the Funds in question.

We can fine-tune this based on our interactions. I am Aware of the
consequences of this proposal. I ask that If you find no interest in this
project that you Should discard this mail. I ask that you do not be
Vindictive and destructive.

If my offer is of no appeal to you, delete this Message and forget I ever
contacted you. Do not Destroy my career because you do not approve of my
Proposal.


I await your response.

Geoffrey Wilson


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