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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:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "transfer into your account" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
  • "central bank of nigeria" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
  • "contract review panel" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
  • eroland@sify.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: eroland@sify.com
Date: Fri, 26 May 2006 21:54:46 +0000
Subject: from Ellis Roland, please reply back ASAP!!!!

FROM THE DESK OF ENGR.ELLIS ROLAND
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA CONTRACTS REVIEW PANEL
FEDERAL SECRETARIAT COMPLEX (ANNEX)
LAGOS - NIGERIA

ENGR. ELLIS ROLAND.
E-MAIL: eroland@sify.com

Dear Fiend ,

REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP.

Let me introduce myself to you, I am Engr Ellis Roland, I am currently a member of the Federal Government Contract Review Panel. I have been mandated by my colleagues in the panel to seek for a reliable partner to work with us in this our pending project. Anyway I got your contact information through my tedious search in the internet and I decided to write you immediately, I hope to hear back from you as soon as possible.

We are top officials of the Federal Government Contract Review Panel who are interested in importation of goods into our country with funds which are presently trapped in Nigeria. In order to commence this business, we solicit your assistance to enable us transfer into your account the said trapped funds. The source of this funds is as follows: During the immediate past military regime here in Nigeria, government officials set up companies and awarded themselves contracts which were grossly over invoiced in various ministries. The present democratic government set up a Contract Review Panel to look into these contracts as well as those awarded to contractors, for which payment has not been made. In the course of doing this, we identified a lot of inflated funds presently floating in the Central Bank of Nigeria and ready for payment. However, by virtue of our position as civil servants and members of this panel, we cannot acquire this money in our names. I have therefore been delegated as a matter of trust b
y my colleagues of the panel to look for an overseas partner into whose account we would transfer the sum of US$11,000,000.00 (Eleven Million U.S. Dollars).Hence my writing you to solicit your
partnership in this transaction.

We have agreed to share the money thus:

1. 15% for the Account owner (you).
2. 75% for us (The Officials).
3. 10% to be set aside in settling all foreign expenses (by you) and local expenses (by us) incidental to the actualization of this project.

As a token of our gratitude, as soon as you confirm the arrival of the funds in your Account, we shall arrange for you the equivalent of 500,000 barrels of Automotive Gasoline Oil (AGO), for spot lifting at a price less than the prevailing market value per barrel. We wish to commence the importation business from our 75% share of the proceeds from the
project.Please, note that this transaction is 100% safe, and we intend to effect the transfer within 10-14 banking days from the date of receipt of the following information from you via Email:

1) Your Full name.
2) Company's name and address.
3) Confidential telephone and fax number.

The above information will enable us write letters of claim and job description respectively. This way, we will use your company's name to apply for the payment and re-award the contract to your company. I hope you will look favorably on this proposal as I solicit your confidentiality in this transaction. Please acknowledge the receipt of this letter. I will bring you into the complete picture of this pending project when I hear from you.

Yours faithfully

ENGR. Ellis Roland.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam