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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: "Paul Matthews" <matthews@fraserandfraser.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: matth_ews2@yahoo.com
Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2007 02:54:55 -1200
Subject: Probate Research Finding!

Good day,

I am Paul Matthews and I am a researcher with a notable Genealogists and International Probate Researching firm here in the United Kingdom. We are one of the UK's leading firms of genealogists. Based in London we have over 40 highly trained staff, as well as agents and correspondents throughout the world. We specialise in probate research to locate missing heirs and beneficiaries. We can also help you find wills, obtain copies of certificates, help you to administer an estate, as well as calculating how an estate, intestacy or trust should be distributed.

You may unknowingly be an heir of someone who has died without leaving a will (intestate). We conduct probate research to prove your entitlement, and can submit a claim on your behalf - all at no risk to yourselves. Our experience in investigative procedures enable us to undertake the detection of many categories of missing persons who may be entitled to share in land, pension trusts, shares or the residue of the estate of a person who has died. In cases of intestacy, you may instruct us to conduct research to discover and locate who is entitled to a share in an estate in accordance with the laws of intestacy.

Our research enables the personal representative to then complete the administration of the estate. We are equally happy to assist you for simple tasks, such as a partial intestacy, as well as complex matters, such as a discretionary trust where the life tenant has recently died, and the remaindermen are the settlor's nephews and nieces (or their issue), none of whom are named in the trust deed, and the immediate family are all now deceased. We can undertake specific searches for you for grants of probate, birth / death / marriage and adoption certificates, as well as Decrees Absolute of divorce. Frustrating delays can be caused by missing documents essential to the completion of the administration of an Estate, and we will be happy to search out and obtain certified copies of such documents from the appropriate repositories.

Nevertheless, the reason I am contacting you is to make a direct proposal to you. By virtue of my position as a senior probate researcher, I have discovered a file to which no claim has been mead for over fifty years. I have personally made sure I put this file in my personal vault until such a time I find a similar name I could communicate with to work with me get this off the way. This claim is to the tune of One Million, Two Hundred Thousand Pound Sterling, ready to be processed by my humble self and payment effected promptly. Please, this is very important as the Government of the United Kingdom is on the verge of confiscating it.

If you are interested, do get back to me as soon as possible stating your full names, address, telephone and mobile phone number.

Thank you and do have a good day.
Please send your response and all correspondence to matth_ews2@yahoo.com

Paul Matthews
matth_ews2@yahoo.com


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