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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: thomasmalume@inbox.com
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2005 21:05:13 +0200
Subject: Energy Issues

FROM THE DESK OF MR. THOMAS MALUME
ATTN: THE MANAGING DIRECTOR,

It is my great pleasure to write you this letter on behalf of my colleagues. I got your
information from a colleague in the chamber of commerce in my country while searching for
a reliable partner to assist in this proposal. I have decided to seek a confidential
co-operation with you in execution of a deal hereunder for the benefit of all parties, and
hope you will keep it confidential because of the nature of this business. Within the
Department of Mining Resources where I work as the Director of Project Implementation,
with co-operation of two other top officials, we have in our possession, an overdue
payment in US funds.
The said funds represent certain percentage of the contract value executed on behalf of my
Ministry by a foreign contracting firm, which we the officials over-invoiced to the amount
of US$US$20.5M. (Twenty Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars).
Though the actual contract cost has been paid to the original contractor,
leaving the excess balance unclaimed.

The Government of the Republic of South Africa believe that private investment in general,
and foreign direct investment in particular, are the real engines for sustainable economic
development, for which reason it has continued to encouraged investment in the key
growth-oriented sector of Mining with sincere determination to pay foreign contractors
all debts owed to them, so as to continue to enjoy close relationship, and mutually
beneficial co-operation with foreign governments and non-governmental financial agencies.
As a result we included our bills for approvals with the co-operation of some officials at
the

Department of Finance and the Reserve Bank of South Africa (RBSA). We are seeking your
assistance to be the beneficiary of the unclaimed funds, since we are not allowed to
operate foreign account. The changing of beneficiary's information/ details and other
forms of
documentation upon application for claim to reflect the contract money and its approvals
will be secured on behalf of your company or your self.

I have the authority of my colleagues involved to propose that, should you be willing to
assist us in this transaction your share as compensation will be 30% while my colleagues
and I shall receive 65%, and the balance of 5% shall be used to reimburse all
expenditures,
taxes and miscellaneous expenses so incurred. It does not matter whether or not your
company does contract projects of the nature described here. The assumption is that your
company won the major contract and subcontracted it to other companies. More often than
not, big trading companies and firms of unrelated fields win major contracts, and
subcontract to more specialized firms for execution. This business itself is 100% safe,
provided you treat it with utmost confidentiality. Also your specialization is not a
hindrance to the successful execution of this mutual beneficiary transaction.
Please kindly notify me for further details if you are interested or not in this proposal
by contacting me via email at thomasmalume@inbox.com
Regards,
MR. THOMAS MALUME

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