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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: Emmanuel Benedo <emma_benedo22@hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:50:36 +0000
Subject: Contact me for more details...



FROM, THE DESK OF MR EMMANUEL BENEDOBILL AND EXCHANGE MANAGERFOREIGN REMITTANCE DEPARTMENTBANK OF AFRICA,OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/502505.stm Dear Partner,Greetings! For this letter is strictly personal, intimate and confidential. Forgive this unusual manner of contacting you, but this particular letter is of exceptional and very private nature. There is no way for me to know whether I will be properly understood, but it is my duty to write and reach out to you. For I want to believe and trust in you for a quick disbursement of this fund.I am the manager bill and exchange of the foreign remittance department, Bank of Africa, I am trusting this transaction to you, that you will handle it with sincerity and without any problems. In my department file, I discovered an abandoned sum of US $15.6m(Fiftheen million, six hundred thousand US Dollars) in an account, belonging to one of our bank’s foreign customer who died along with his family in November 2, 1999 in a plane crash.Since I got information about his death, I have done a lot of investigations and verifications to confirm if anyone such as a next of kin or relative of the deceased has called to claim the inheritance fund. These is because, the bank cannot release it to anyone, unless somebody applies for the fund as next of kin or business partner to the deceased as it is indicated in our banking laws and guidelines.Fortunately, if I should say, I have fully confirmed that, no one has come up to claim the fund and I have spent a lot of money into getting this vital information’s and classified details secretly, about the deceased customer and the said inheritance fund.It is therefore upon this discovery that I have decided to make this Business proposal to you as a foreigner, for you to assist and stand as the next of kin (business partner), to the deceased person and subsequent disbursement will be made into your designated account, since nobody is coming to claim the inheritance fund and this money must not go into the bank’s treasury as unclaimed bill, the banking law and guideline of “ARTICLE A section ABD/O11 of 1991, stipulates that, if such account is found do rmant for the banking period of seven (7)years, such fund will be automatically transferred and deposited in the bank’s treasury as Unclaimed fund.I arrange that 30% of this money will be for you as my foreign partner in respect to applying to the bank as the next of kin. 10% will be mapped for expenses incurred during the transaction, handled by you courteously and highly secretive and 60% will be for me, in the sense that, I will visit your country for residing and investment purposes for a brighter and prosperous future.Therefore, to enable the immediate transfer and crediting of your account with this fund, you have to apply first to the bank as next of kin,business partner to the deceased customer.Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or e-mail a suitable text of the application letter. I will not also, fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch free and you do not need to entertain any fear as all possible loop-holes from where there might be a problem, has been taken care of, I believe, by the Merciful Grace of God.Waiting on your assistance.Yours faithfully, Emmanuel Benedo Mgr.
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