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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: Nelson Smith <nelsonsmith@live.com>
Reply-To: <nelsonsmith2005@myway.com>
Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 10:01:28 +0100
Subject: From: The Desk of Mr Prof Nelson.F.Smith.



From: The Desk of Mr Prof Nelson.F.Smith.The Personal Acoount officerUnited Bank of Africa {UBA} Reply to: nelsonsmith2005@myway.comTelephone: +234-8036166015
Dear ,
I am Mr.Prof Nelson F.Smith, accountant for foreing bill of exchange operation department of the United Bank of Africa {UBA} here in Nigeria. I am writing following the impressive information about you through an internet geonological research.In my department, we discovered along term deposited fund of{$6.5.M}Six Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars in an account which belong to a foriegn customer Late Engr. Ahmed Quan, who died alongside with his nuclear family in a plane crash on December 26th 2003 in a neighbouring country named Republic of Benin in the city of Cotonou.
The management have been expecting his next of kin to come over for his or her claim as the huge fund can not be release unless somebody applies for it legally as the beneficiary/next of kin to the deceased/fund as indicated in our banking guide. Unfurtunately all efforts to locate the next of kin to the deceased by the bank management proved abortive.Now as the personal accountant to the deceased, after much official enquiry/verification through the deposit files of the deceased, I was able to realise that his supposed next of kin died along side with him at the plane crash on December 26th 2003.
I will like to present you to the bank as the bona fide next of kin to the late deceased since you bear the same last name with the deceased so that this fund can be transfered to your bank account as the bona fide beneficiary to the fund.The banking law and guideline act 00.02 of the foreign beneficiary fund release stipulates that if such fund remain uncliamed after the exsisting period of four years, as the fund shall be automatically transfered into the national treasury account as uncliamed bill.
As the personal ccountant to the deceased, I therefore decide to make business with you by releasing the fund {$6.5 Million} to you as the next of kin to the deceased for safe keeping of the fund/subsequent disbursement as I do not want the fund to be transfered into the national treasury as unclaimed fund.
1.YOUR FULL NAME.... 2.YOUR HOME ADDRESS.... 3.YOUR CURRENT HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER.... 4.YOUR Cell phone NUMBER... 5.Your OCCUPATION.............
Best regardsProf.Nelson SmithPersonal Account OfficerUnited Bank of Africa {UBA}
_________________________________________________________________
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