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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: JAMES WILLIAMS <barr_jameswilliams_69@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <barr_jameswilliams_20@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2007 09:00:24 +0100
Subject: Dear Friend



BARRISTER JAMES WILLIAMS CHAMBER AND ASSOCIATENo 3 festac town, Lagos,Nigeria.Private Email:barr_jameswilliams_13@yahoo.com

Dear Friend,

It is with heartfelt, I hereby seek your co-operation and assistance in this context . I am Barrister James williams ,the personal Attorney to the late Mr. Terry Harris. I got the information through the british news casting online where this offer was solicited under the custody of the above mentioned chamber by course of picking of bearer of the Names {Harris} ramdomly, and your e-mail address was been picked as the lucky winner of this very legal proposal,though in more details about my late client,"He was the Chief Executive officer of Nigeria National Petroleum Company {NNPC} for years and he was retired in the 1st day of September 2004.

After few months, My client and his family of two died on their way to a holiday resort in Glassgow, scotland in an explosion which hit the Nigeria underground trains on the 7th July 2005. I was in my office when the metropolitan police came on air to announce the tragedy and finally declared that 33 were lives was lost and that the casualties numbered up to 700. before his death,my client had a total sum of $9.5 million USD with a finance house Hoping to transfer the fund to his country {United States of America} in no time before he and his family met a suden death. According to the DEED OF WILL made by my late client, He declared that on his demisation, That this money and other property be made-over to his only child(a boy) and wife,Agnes. I have consequently decided that since you are a foreigner like my late client,I would rather present you tothe holding Bank as the true next of kin to my late client and get the money claimed and be shared among the authorized beneficiaries than allowing the holding Bank to convert it to your own account forever.I agree to pay you 40% of the fund as the account owner, 50% for me, and 10% goes directly for expenses , kindly do remember to Provide the following information for the application processing.

1 Your full name...............2 Contact address..............3 Phone and fax number...........4 Age.....5.Occupation............................

All these information will enable me write an pplication to the bank on your behalf and present you as the real next of kin to my late client.All I require is your honest co-operation to enable us acertain a very assent in this business opportunity. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement which will protect you and I, from any breach of the law contract. Terry Harris was a very good man and it is not wise for me to allow his hard earned wealth to be converted into the holding Bank's profit account ,so I sincerely solicite your maximal support in order to make this offer a successful one indeed. your percentage is highly considered.
Thanks and God bless.
Barrister James Williams

N.B ============ ALL REPLY SHOULD BE SENT TO MYALTERNATIVE MAIL BOXbarr_jameswilliams_13@yahoo.com
_________________________________________________________________
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