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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: Franklin Brown <franklsolicitor@mail.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2006 19:11:42 +0100
Subject: Atten:


My Dear

I am highly esteemed to write you this letter, I am Franklin Brown a solicitor and personal attorney to Mrs Anselma Piroddi,an Italian citizen, who before her death was an art collector.Anselma died a few years ago and left me the responsibility of locating and transferring $1.5million she left for her only son, Angelo Piroddi.

Since then I have made several inquiries to locate the benefactor but this has proved unsuccessful.

Angelo Piroddi has now been confirmed dead, and he died intestate, I have decided to contact you to assist in repatriating the money and property left behind my client before they are confiscated or declared unserviceable by her bankers, where the deceased had an account valued at about £900,000.00 as at last months assessment.

The bank has issued me with a notice as the attorney to the deceased to provide the next of kin or the account will be deemed unserviceable within the next 21 official working days, since I have been unsuccessful in locating any of Angelo Piroddi’s heirs over the years, I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin to Angelo Piroddi’s.

As the attorney to Late Mrs Anselma Piroddi,I have all the necessary legal documents that will be used to back up the claim. All I require from you is your honest co-operation to enable us see this arrangement through.

I guarantee that this arrangement will be executed under a legitimate banking procedure and the provision of the laws with regards to inheritance will be strictly adhered to, this will protect you from any breach of the law.

Lastly I have attached one of our numerous newspaper adverts asking for any one with information to come forward, and the time stipulated has lapsed, thus the need for your involvement.

Please take sometime to go through the attached newspaper extract and revert back to me for further arrangements.

please note that all responds to (franklsolicitor@mail.com)

Very Truly Yours

Franklin Brown

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