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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: "Roger Weston" <rger_westn2@excite.com>
Reply-To: rger_wston07@excite.com
Date: Sat, 4 Aug 2007 03:20:42 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: 4th Aug, 2007


Good Day,I am Roger Weston,staff of Bristol &amp; West Private Banking. I am contacting you concerning a deceased customer and an investment he placed under our banks management three years ago. I would respectfully request that you keep the contents of this mail confidential and respect the integrity of the information you come by as a result of this mail.I am making this contact with you based on the committee's need for an individual/company who is willing to assist me to stand as the next of kin to my deceased client. Being the deceased financial consultant before the untimely and sudden death and since i am the only one who has the knowledge where these funds (60million british pounds sterling) was moved to when the deceased demanded it be moved from our office Bristol &amp; West to a security company,i can move this deal forward to it's successful end once we conclude to work together.What I expect from you is trust and commitment.There is a reward for this project and
it is a task well worth undertaking.According to practice, the Security firm will by the end of this financial year broadcast a request for statements of claim to Bristol &amp; West Private Bank, failing to receive viable claims they will most probably revert the deposit back to Bristol &amp; West Private Bank. What I propose now is that if you are the relative to my client please let me know. I alone have the deposit details and they will release the deposit to no one unless I instruct them to do so. I alone know of the existence of this deposit for as far as Bristol &amp; West Private Bank is concerned, the transaction with our late customer concluded when I sent the funds to the security firm, all outstanding interactions in relation to the file are just customer services and due process. The Security firm has no single idea of what is the history or nature of the deposit. They are simply awaiting instructions to release the deposit to any party that comes forward. This is
the situation. This bank has spent great amounts of money trying to track this man¡¦s family; they have investigated for months and have found no family. The investigation has come to an end. My proposal; you share similar details to the late fellow; I am prepared to place you in a position to instruct the Securities firm to release the deposit to you as the closest surviving relation. Upon receipt of the deposit, I am prepared to share the money with you in half. That is: I will simply nominate you as the next of kin and have them release the deposit to you. We share the proceeds 50/50.I would have gone ahead to ask the funds be released to me, but that would have drawn a straight line to me and my involvement in claiming the deposit. I assure you that I could have the deposit released to you within a few days. I have evaluated the risks and the only risk I have here is for you to betray my confidence.Hope to hear from you soon.Roger Weston

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