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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: bennikiwanuka@aol.com
Date: Sun, 08 Oct 2006 09:57:01 +0100
Subject: Soliciting For Your Assistance.

Good Day,

Although, I do not know you in person, I got your contact via personal search on
the internet, Let me start by introducing myself. I am Mr.Benedict Kiwanuka a banker
in the ABSA Bank Ltd, South Africa. I have a profitable transaction for you. I was
attending a business luncheon in September 1999 in china and I was introduced to
Mr. Andreas Schranner, a renowned German Real Estate/Property magnate.

He later employed my services as a banker and investment Consultant, Three months later
he invited me and told me of his desire to open a fixed deposit account, he could fall
back to on retirement, under my professional guidance and based on my advice he made a
fixed deposit of USD6,450,000(Six Million Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States
Dollars) in one of our branches.

This deposit was for 5 years and upon maturity I made effort to contact my client, l could
not reach him. I was forced to travel to Germany and there I got the tragic news that, my
client Mr. Andreas Schranner, his wife Maria, their daughter Andrea Eich, his son in law
Christian, and their children Maximilian and Katharina, all perished in the Monday, 31 July,
2000 plane crash in western German city of Moenchengladbach.

Please Click here and find out what happened to the Mr. Andreas Schranner :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm

After further investigation, l also discovered that Mr. Andreas Schranner did not declare any
next of kin in his official papers including the paper work of his bank deposit. And l remember
he also confided in me the last time he was at my office that no one except me knew of his deposit
in my bank. So, Six Million Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars is still lying
in my bank and no one will ever come forward to claim it. What bothers me most is that according
to the laws of my country at the expiration of a numbers of years the funds will revert to the
ownership of the South African Government as unclaimed funds if nobody applies to claim the funds.

Against this backdrop, my suggestion to you is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand as the
next of kin to Mr. Andreas Schranner so that you will be able to receive his funds. Should you be
interested please send me your full names and Direct Telephone and Fax Numbers, and I will
prefer you to reply me on the email address below:

Email: kiwanuka1956@aim.com , then I shall provide you with more details of this Transaction.

Please also note that I am willing to give you 30%(US$1,935,000) of the total money for your
assistance.That is,your share One Million Nine Hundred and Thirty Five Thousand United States Dollars

Your earliest response to this proposal will be appreciated.

Be well and God Bless.

Best Regards,
Mr. Benedict Kiwanuka


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