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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:
  • "i will like you to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "your urgent reply" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • jimwilliams005@myway.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: jimwilliams01@zipmail.com.br
Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 18:49:53 +0100
Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?hello?=

Mr. Jim Williams
First Atlantic Bank Ltd
Lagos, Nigeria.

Good day,

I am so sorry to bulge on you like this without knowing you prior to this
day but I employ you to please read this mail because it has immense financial
benefits for the both of us.

I am Mr. Jim Williams, Bank Manager of First Atlantic
Bank Ltd,Lagos Branch.

I got your contact on my private search on the Internet and I listed your
name amongst four other names and prayed over them and decided to contact
you directly. I have a very urgent and confidential business proposition
for you and for our overall mutual interest.

On December 6 1997,an American oil consultant/contractor with the Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation Mr. Henry Gardner made a numbered time (fixed)
deposit for twelve calendar months, valued atUSD$25,000,000.00(twenty five
million dollars) in my branch. Upon maturity, I sent a routine notification
to his forwarded address but got no reply.

After a month we sent a reminder and finally we discovered from his contract
employers NNPC, that Mr. Henry died in an automobile accident. On further
investigation, I found out that he did not leave a WILL and all attempts
to trace his next of kin were fruitless.

I therefore made further investigation and discovered that Mr. Henry did
not declare any next of kin in all his official documents, including his
bank deposit paperwork. This sum USD$25,000,000.00 is still floating in
the bank and the interest is being rolled over with the principal sum at
the end of each year. No one will come forward to claim it.

According to Nigerian Laws, at the expiration of 9 (Nine) years, the money
will revert to the ownership of the Nigerian government if nobody applies
to claim the funds. Consequently, my proposal is that I will like you as
a foreigner to stand in as a next of kin of Mr. Henry Gardner.

This is simple

1) I will like you to provide me immediately with your full names & address
so that an attorney will prepare the necessary documents and affidavits,
which will put you as next of kin.

2) We shall employ the services of an attorney for drafting & notarization
of the WILL and obtain the necessary documents and letter of
probate/administration
in your favor for the transfer.

3) A bank account in any part of the world, which you will provide to
facilitate
the transfer of this money to you as the beneficiary.

The money will be paid into your account for us to share in the ratio of
60% for me and 40% for you, which we will both sign and agree to, by a
Memorandum of Understanding (M.O.U) before we proceed with the transfer
of the money to you.

There is no risk at all as the attorney will do the paperwork for this
transaction and with my position as the branch manager guarantees the
successfulexecution of this transaction. If you are interested, please
reply immediately via this private email address. Upon your response, I
shall then provide you with more details and relevant documents that will
help you understand.

PLEASE OBSERVE UTMOST CONFIDENTIALITY, and be rest assured that this would
be most profitable for both of us because I shall require your assistance
to invest my share in your country.

Awaiting your urgent reply via this email below, please save me the anxiety
of endless waiting.

Please reply to: jimwilliams005@myway.com

God bless you.

Mr. Jim Williams
First Atlantic Bank Ltd.
Lagos, Nigeria

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam