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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

 

 

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

Fraud email example:

From: "mathew kwami" <mathewkwami_35@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: mathewkwami20@yahoo.com
Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 09:53:14 +0000
Subject: BUSINESS

From: The Manager,
International Commercial Bank Ghana
First Light Branch
Accra, Ghana.
Attnn
I know you will be surprise to receive this mail. I got your contact through
the net when I was searching a reliable person who will assist me
Mathew kwami is my name and I am the manager of the International
Commercial Bank Ghana, First Light Branch. I am a Ghanaian married with two
kids.

I write to solicit your kind assistance in a fund transfer deal of
US$3,700.000.00. This fund is the excess of the profit made by this branch
during the year 2005. As the manager of the bank, I have already submitted
an approved End of the Year report for the year 2005 to my Head Office here
in Accra-Ghana and they will never know of this Excess. This amount
3,700,000.00 is presently
held on a Sundry Account where I am have placed it without a beneficiary.

As an officer of the bank, I cannot be directly connected to this money thus
I am impelled to request for your assistance to receive this money into your
bank account. I intend to part 35% of this fund to you while 65% shall be
for me. I do need to stress that there are practically no risk
involved in this. It's going to be a simple bank-to-bank transfer. All I
need from you is to stand claim as the original depositor of this fund.

If you accept this offer, I will appreciate your timely response, as I have
meticulously planned a swift transfer of the fund to any account you will
nominate.
your earliest response would be appreciated.
With regards,
Mathew kwami

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