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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: "nu ni" <kemical005@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: esqmartinfreeman@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2007 11:42:03 +0000
Subject: I NEED YOUR URGENT ASSISTANCE

Mr Martin Freeman
First Investment Bank Plc,
41 Lothbury,London, EC2P 2BP,
United Kingdom.
Dear friend,

You may be surprised to receive my letter. However, I got

your contact as a result of my desperate desire for

assistance. Though this mail is unsolicited, I pray you to be

humane and consider it. I have decided to contact you for

confidential, urgent and rewarding joint business. I am

Martin Freeman Branch Manager, First Investment Bank Plc.

In January 2002, one of my customer (foreigner) who is a

consultant/General contractor here in United Kingdom,

made a numbered time Fixed) Deposit, valued at

$11,500,000.00 (Eleven Million, Five Hundred Thousand

United States Dollars), for twelve (12) calendar months in my

Bank branch.

Upon maturity, we sent a routine notification to his home

address but got no reply.I have since then made several

enquiries to his Embassy as his accounts officer in a bid to

locate any relation of my client and these efforts of mine

have not been productive for over five years now,finally we

discovered from his contact employers that he is no longer

on earth as he died in a car accident along with all members

of his family .Hence the need to get someone to assist me in

securing the money and property left behind by my client

before they are declared as unclaimed and unserviceable by

the bank where they have been lodged for safekeeping.

This is because my Bank has just issued a notice to me,

unequivocally instructing me as his accounts officer to

produce the Next of Kin/Beneficiary to the said account

within the next ten official working days, or have the

account confiscated. Considering my lack of success in my

bid to locate his relatives for so long and with the fact that

the bank would claim this funds that they did not work for or

suffer with my late client to get,i solicit your consent to

enable me produce you as a distant relative /Next of Kin to

my deceased client and the funds will then be transferred to

you as the beneficiary and shared according to a proposed

sharing pattern we both agree on.

We will provide to the bank all the necessary legally

obtained documents that the bank might require to back up

any claim we make regarding this process,and will just

require your understanding and cooperation to enable us

achieve success within a legitimate arrangement,eliminating

any liability resulting from any breach of the prevalent laws.
Your urgent response will be highly appreciated and i would

appreciate it if you keep this deal strictly confidential . If this

proposal interest you, please include Your private phone

and Fax number, full contact address,Your country, date of

birth and occupation for the legal documentation of the said

fund.

Thank you.

Best Regards,

Martins Freeman (Esq)

_________________________________________________________________
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