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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

 

 

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: brucetheron@freenet.de
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:53:42 +0100
Subject: I am waiting for your urgent response


Dear Friend,
I know that this mail will come to you as a surprise as we
have never met before.My name is Mr. Bruce Theron.I am the bill and
exchange manager in Finance House Annex.I Hoped that you will not expose
or betray this trust and confident that I am about to repose on you for
the mutual benefit of our both families.
I am writing in respect of a
foreign customer(Mr.Lee Eunho) of our Bank who perished along with his
next of kin with Korean Air Line, flight number 801 with the whole
passengers on 6th of augustus 1997 and for your perusal you can view
this site http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9708/06/guam.passenger.list/ Since
the demise of this our customer, I personally has watched with keen
interest to see the next of kin but all has proved abortive as no one
has come to claim his funds of US$19.5M (Nineteen Million Five Hundred
Thoudsand United States Dollars) which has been with our branch for
a
very long time.
On this note, I decided to seek for whom his name
shall be used as the Next of Kin since nobody is coming for the fund
again.The Banking ethics here does not allow such money to stay more
than 10 years, because the money will be recalled to the Bank treasury
as unclaimed fund after this period. In view of this I got your contact
through the internet when I was making a research on a foreigner that I
will use in this great opportunity because i dont want the money to be
recalled to our Bank treasury as uncliamed fund.I have also agreed to
offer 40% of the total sum and the rest 60% will be for me.
The reason
for a foreigner in the business is for the fact that the deceased man
was a foreigner and it is not authorized by the law guiding our Bank for
a citizen of this country to make the claim of the fund.So the request
of you as a foreigner is necessary to apply for the
release and transfer
of the fund smoothly into your reliable Bank account as the surviving
relation to the deceased.
If you are really sure of your integerity,
trustworthy and confidentiality, and accept not to cheat or disappoint
me after this business, reply with your telephone and fax numbers and
banking account details where you wish to receive the fund.
Upon
receipt of the above mentioned informations,indicating your interest in
the business,I will send you by e-mail a letter of application which you
will type and send back to our bank to enable us start this transaction.

I will not fail to bring to your notice that this business is hitchfree
and dont have any negative impact.You should not entertain any fear as
all modalities for the smooth and easy transfer of this fund has been
finalized, this transaction will be completed within 14 bank
working
days immediately we start the business.
I am waiting for your urgent
response
Regards,
Mr. Bruce Theron.
please reply me back by my this
e-mail address:bru8cetheron@yahoo.com.hk

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inkl.
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