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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: "stgr_unicef@terra.es" <stgr_unicef@terra.es>
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2006 02:23:11 +0200 (MEST)
Subject: (PRIVATE)


Dear Friend,

It is indeed with a heart of hope that I am contacting you in the context below. Certainly, it is borne out of circumstances. I am a Project Coordinator with UNICEF. My office is saddled with the responsibility of executing humanitarian and developmental projects mostly in West African Sub-Region. It may interest you to know that deciding to carry out this transaction was not an easy task for me, as I had to ensure that whoever I would deal with in regard to this transaction must be a person of high moral estate.

Early this year, the amount of USD$30 Million dollars was released to my office for Rural Water Projects in three Countries, after analysis, evaluations and execution, what we were able to expend to ensure that this projects were achieved comfortably amounted to only USD$22.5 million, leaving my office with a balance of USD$7.5Million, which invariably my office will have to return to our headquarters as unused funds after this project execution, I had a rethink on the whole issue, as I have worked with UNICEF for almost 13 years without much to show for it. I have always been made to understand that my work is based on humanitarian grounds, but I lack the basic comfort and luxury that comes with a normal life, besides If I return the balance to the headquarters, the top officers will certainly reconcile the funds as being used in one project or the other while they keep it for their personal use, so based on this, I decided that the fund will be my retirement benefit, so in my report I did include the detail that the project funds was accounted for and spent on the Project, so it is on record that the whole fund was utilized and project was successful.

All I want you to do for me is to hold brief for me by securing the funds in your account pending when I make adequate arrangement to invest it because as a Senior staff of the UNICEF I cannot account for such fund in my account, you can do this by providing all the relevant details for remitting the balance funds into your account, personal details about yourself, also your Residential address and contact telephone numbers are needed, I can then draft an agreement between the both of us for our mutual interest towards the realization of this transaction, for your assistance and commitment to the remittance and safety of the funds I am still open for negotiations also note that you will be responsible for the investment of this fund though with my supervision and advice. I expect to hear from you soonest through my email as soon as I hear from you I will forward my telephone number to you for a more detailed discussion, be informed that I have put all the necessary parameters in place to actualize this project but we need to keep this matter highly confidential, due to my involvement and reputation as a seving UNICEF staff.

Regards,
Dr. Steven Grant.






Prueba el Nuevo Correo Terra; Seguro, r&aacute;pido, fiable.





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