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

Fraud email example:

From: "brown walters" <brown_walters8@msn.com>
Reply-To: brown_walters9@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2006 19:18:28 +0000
Subject: INDICATE INTEREST

Dear Friend
My name is Brown Walter, I am the credit manager in a bank here in the United Kingdom. I am contacting you in respect of the transfer of a huge sum of money from a deceased account. Though I know that a transaction of this nature and magnitude will make any one apprehensive and worried, but I  am assuring you that everything has been taken care of, and all will be  well at the end of the day. I decided to contact you due to the secrecy,confidentiality and urgency of this transaction.
PROPOSITION;
I was the account officer of a foreigner, named Gerald Welsh who died in an air crash along with his wife on the 31st October 1999 in an Egyptian airline flight 990 with other passengers on board which is evident in the website (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/502503.stm)
Since his death, none of his relations or persons have come forward to lay claims to his this funds as next-of-kin, and on my own i have made concerted effort to locate any of his relatives but all prove abortive, which makes me to believe that maybe nobody of his knows that he was operating this foreign account with my bank. Based on the ethics and policies of the bank, this funds will be declared unclaimed funds and taken to the treasury of the bank as capital base of the bank, because already the account has been tagged dormant because it has exceeded the normal functional number of years. We cannot release the fund from his account unless someone applies for claim as the next-of-kin to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines. Upon this discovery, I now seek your permission and assistance to present you and have you stand as a next of kin to the deceased,so that the funds can be released and transfer to you, as all documentations will be carefully worked out by me for the funds (US$5,000,000.00) to be released in your favor as the beneficiary's next of kin, if not the members of the board of directors will utilise it for their personal aggrandisement. Because  after four years as this is the fifth year going the money will be called back to the bank treasury as unclaimed bills and the money shared amongst the directors of the bank, so it is on this note i decided to seek for whom his name shall be used as the next of kin/beneficiary to this funds rather than allow the bank directors to share this money amongst themselves at the end of the year. It may interest you to know that I have secured from the probate commission an order of mandamus to locate any of the deceased beneficiaries.
Please acknowledge receipt of this message in acceptance of our mutual business endeavour by furnishing me with the following information if you are interested.
1.A Beneficiary name..In order for me to prepare the document for transfer of the funds in your name.
2. Direct Telephone and fax numbers...For our personal contact and mutual trust in each other.
Upon your acceptance I shall send you my identity for more confidentiality and trust in each other as i shall trust you not to elope with this funds when it finally gets to your account. I shall be compensating you with a million dollars ($1Million dollars) on final conclusion of this project for your assistance, while the balance, i shall used in prolific investment project based on your advised  Because I intend to retire after the conclusion of this transaction. If this proposal is acceptable by you, please endeavor to contact me immediately. Do not take undue advantage of the trust I have bestowed
in you, Kindly contact me via my personal e-mail,for now.(brown_walters9@yahoo.co.uk)  I await your urgent response.
Regards,
Brown Walter

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