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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

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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.

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

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

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "steve ugha" <successuba6@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: ste0079@myway.com
Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2006 18:46:32 -0900
Subject: YOUR ATTENTION REQUIRED, PLEASE...

STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL
From the Desk of: MR STEVE UGHA,
WEMA BANK OF NIGERIA PLC,
LAGOS - NIGERIA .
Dear Sir,

URGENT BUSINESS PROPOSAL

Please, permit me to introduce myself to you. My name is MR STEVE UGHA, a
Manager with the WEMA BANK OF NIGERIA PLC, LAGOS - NIGERIA .

I know that this proposal will come to you as a "BIG" suprise. This is due
to the obvious reason that we have not met in our lives before. But I am
persuaded and inspired to send this email to you given the huge fund
transfer opportunity that will be of immense and mutual benefit to both of
us, our respective families and to those that depend on us. We will at the
end of this transaction, have the opportunity and priviledge to be a bit
more charitable and donate to charities / charitable organisation, to
orphanages and to other less priviledged in our respective societies.

Proposition

Mr Bob Williams, an American, aged 65, now deceased, was a prosperous oil
merchant and owned an Oil Servicing Firm in Warri, an Oil Producing City in
Delta State of Nigeria. He was one of our esteemed foreign customers. He had
in our Bank the sum of US$15.5m in a domiciliary account. He named his wife,
Patty Williams, aged 63, as the next of kin.

Unfortunately, on January 31 , 2000 our client and his wife were killed on
board Alaska Airlines Flight 261 while on holidays enroute Mexico to the
USA. You may wish to read more about the incident on the following website:
http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/02/01/alaska.airlines.list

Since the bank got information about the death of Bob Williams and his wife,
we have been expecting his children to come over and claim his money, but
surprisingly no one showed up. Going through his file in our office we
discovered that the deceased had no children. And the only Next Of Kin
officially known to the bank and which infact is the wife also died in the
air crash.

Further investigations by the bank revealed that late Mr Bob Williams died
intestate, ie died without a will. And this means that no one has knowledge
of this funds in our bank. It is therefore upon these discoveries that I and
two other colleagues decided to do business deal with you to facilitate the
release of the funds to you as the next of kin and therefore the bona fide
beneficiary of the funds in question; as we do not want the funds to revert
to Government treasury as unclaimed bill.

The banking laws and guidelines here in Nigeria, under The Financial
Services Act, stipulates that if funds such as that of late Mr Bob Williams
remains unclaimed after five years such funds should be transferred into
Government treasury as unclaimed bills. Cases of this nature where funds
revert to Government treasury abound in our bank.

May I assured you that this Transaction is 100% safe and risk-free, as we
will take care of all the necessary modalities to ensure a hitch-free
transaction and security of mind both now and in the future when the funds
are transferred.

I have the authority of my partners involved in this transaction to propose
that should you be willing to assist us in the transaction your share would
be 20% of the US$15.5million, 70% for us and 10% for taxation and other
miscellaneous expenses that may be incured in the course of the transaction.

I have reposed my confidence in you and hope that you will not disappoint
me.

I anticipate your urgent response, whilst also requesting that you treat
this matter in
strict confidence.

Best Regards.

MR. STEVE UGHA

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam