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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: kelly mensah <zikell_44@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2006 04:32:03 +0100 (BST)
Subject: with all trust.


Dear,Sir/Madam
This letter might come as a surpise to you. Especially since we have never met or discussed before. Basically the message might sound strange , but it is factual in reality if only you care to know and participate. The truth is that I should have not
ified you first through a more confidential means, (even if it is at least to respect your integrity) please accept my humble apology if I had caught you unwares, I franckly do not mean any harm in passing my goodwill message.
I am members of the Special Committee for Budget and Planning of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. This Committee is principally concerned with contract appraisal and the approval of contract in order of priorities as regards capital proje
cts of the government of Togo. With our positions we have successfully secured for ourselves the sum of Fifteen Million, Five-Hunderd-Thousands Dollars(US$15.5M). This amount was accumulated from the over invoiced of duly executed contract.
Hence, together with some of the top officials of the F.M.W.H-Togo and the Federal Minsitry of Finance. We plan to transfer this amount of money Fifteen Million, Five-Hunderd- Thousands Dollars( US$15.5M), into your overseas account by awarding a non
existing contract from my Minstry (FMWH). To this effect, I decided to contact you and ask for your assistance.
What we need from you, is to provide a very good account in which the funds will be transferred. My colleagues and I have agreed to compensate the owner of the account used for the transaction with 25% of the total amount; 70% will be for our side wh
ile the remaining 5% reserved for taxes and other miscallenous expenses.
It may interest you to know that last two years a similar transaction was carried out with one Mr Patrice Miller, the President of Craine International Trade Corporation at Number 135 Esat 57th Street, 28th floor, New York 10022 with telephone number
(212)308-7788 and telex number 6731689. After the agreement between both parties in which he was to take 10% of the money while the remaining 90% for us with all requeired documents signed the money was duly transferred into his account only to be disapp
ointed on our arrival in New York where we were reliably informed that Mr Patrice Miller was no longer on that Address, while his telephone and telex numbers have been re-allocated to somebody else. That was how we lost US$12M to Mr Patrice Miller.
Finally, the confidence and trust reposed on you cannot be over emphasised. Therefore, you are to keep this deal to yourself confidentially Those of us involved are top officers in the Government and so we need to treat this transaction a Top Secret
for our protection and for the interest and smooth success of all.
Contact me urgently through E-mail with your details information .

Yours faithfully,

Dr, Kofi Mensah.

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