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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: "james maras" <james_sssm@hotmail.fr>
Reply-To: james_maras2005@yahoo.fr
Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 15:29:40 +0000
Subject: hello

Chief Auditor (AB) BANK OF
COTE D'IVOIRE
FROM:MR JAMES MARAS

URGENT FUND TRANSFER



ATTN: Sir.

I know that this message will come to you as a surprise since we dont know
each other before, but for the purpose of introduction, I am MR JAMES MARAS
the chief auditor of ATLANTIC BANK OF COTE D'IVOIRE.

There is an account opened in this bank in 1980 and since 1990 nobody has
operated on this account again.After going through some old files in the
records, I discovered that if I do not remit this money out urgently it
would be forfeited for nothing. The owner of this account is Mr. SMITH
B.ANDREAS,a foreigner,and a geologist by profession and he died since 1990.
No other person knows about this account or any thing concerning it,the
account has no other beneficiary and my investigation proved to me as well
that his company does not know anything about this account and the amount
involved is (USD$20.5M) TWENTY million Five Hundred thunsand United States
Dollars.

I am only contacting you as a foreigner because this money cannot be
approved to a local bank here, but can only be approved to any foreign
account because the money is in us dollars and the former owner of the
account is Mr. SMITH B.ANDREAS a foreigner too, I know that this message
will come to you as a surprise as we don't know ourselves before. We will
sign an agreement, but be sure that it is real and a genuine business.

Please reply urgently so that I will inform you the next step to take
immediately. Send also your private telephone and fax number including the
full details of the account to be used for the deposit. I want us to meet
face to face or sign a binding agreement to bind us together so that you can
receive this money into a foreign account or any account of your choice
where the fund will be safe. And I will fly to your country for withdrawal
and sharing and other investments.

I am contacting you because of the need to involve a foreigner with foreign
account and foreign beneficiary.I need your full co-operation to make this
work fine because the management is ready to approve this payment to any
foreigner, who has correct information of this account, which I will give to
you later, if you are able and willing to handle such amount in strict
confidence and trust according to my instructions and advice for our mutual
benefit because this opportunity will never come again in my life. I need
truthful person in this business because I don't want to make mistake, I
need your strong assurance and trust.

With my position now in the office I can transfer this money to any
foreigner's reliable account, which you can provide with assurance that this
money will be intact pending my physical arrival in your country for
sharing. I will destroy all documents of transaction immediately we receive
this money leaving no trace to any place. You can also come to discuss with
me face to face after which I will make this remittance in your presence and
two of us will fly to your country at least two days after the money was
lodged into your account.

I will apply for annual leave to get visa immediately I hear from you that
you are ready to act and receive this fund in your account. I will use my
position and influence to effect legal approvals and onwardtransfer of this
money to your account with appropriate clearance forms of the ministries and
foreign exchangedepartments. At the conclusion of this business, you will be
given 25% of the total amount, 70% will be for me, and while 5% will be for
expenses both parties might have incurred during the process of
transferring.

Please this is very very urgent issue.

Thanking you for your co-operation.

God bless you.

james maras

_________________________________________________________________
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