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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: "maika bama" <maikab_mm@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: maikai@iname.com
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 15:44:40 +0000
Subject: Read and reply Good day

>From Mr Maika Bama
Cotonou Benin.
Av. Jean Paul II,
Carrefour des Trois Banques,
01 BP 2020 – Cotonou.

Dear Trusted ,

It is my pleasure to seek for your assistance, This proposal is real and I
want you to consider it very important and I am assuring you that it is not
a dubious mail. I am Mr Mr Maika Bama, the director in charge of Auditing
and Accounting section of Ecobank Benin, and also a Relationship Account
Officer to Al Saeed Gupta, a Lebanese.
He was a Seasoned Contractor with Benin Cement Company in Benin Republic,who
unfortunately died in the plane crash of Union Transport Africaines Flight
Boeing 727 in Cotonou, Benin republic in December 25, 2003.

You will read more stories about the crash on visiting this website
www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/12/26/benin.crash/
Before his death on the 25th December 2003, Al Saeed Gupta has a fixed
deposit account with the bank and no other person knows about this account
or any thing concerning it, the account has no other beneficiary and my
investigation proved to me that his supposed next of kin died along with him
in the crash.

Since then I have made several enquiries to locate any of my clients
extended relatives, this has also proved unsuccessful. After these several
unsuccessful attempts, I decided to contact you.

I contacted you to assist in repatriating the money left behind by my client
before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by the bank to the
government.
Consequently, Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for
over 7 weeks now.

I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin of the deceased so
that the proceeds of this account valued at US$9.6 million can be paid to
you and then you and me can share the money in proportion 60% to me and 40%
to you.

I sincerely request your honest co-operation to enable us see this deal
through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate
arrangement that will protect you and me from any breach of the law.

All documents of transaction will be destroyed immediately we receive this
money leaving no trace to any place.

If this proposal is acceptable to you, kindly email your following
information to me:
a. Complete names
b. Private telephone number
c. Private fax number
d. Your sex and age.
Waiting for your urgent response.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr Maika Bama

_________________________________________________________________
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