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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: "Tom Williams" <tomwillo098@gmail.com>
Reply-To: contacttomwilliamsoffice1@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:25:29 -0700
Subject: NEXT OF KIN.


*Attn : My Dear*

*I am Barr.Tom Williams Esq. an account operator to late (MR.ABBAS HEROTH)
52yrs old, a nationality of your country who unfortunately died on a car
accident dated 7th August 2005 along Ibadan Express High Way. Since the
death of (MR.ABBAS HEROTH), I as his account operator have made several
enquiries to locate his relations to come up for the inheritance claim,
without any success. I came across your name and contact on the course of my
personal searching for my late client relations/next of kin so I decided to
contact you for this project. *

*I am contacting you to assist in securing the wealth left behind in a fixed
deposit account by my late client before they get confiscated or declared
unserviceable by the bank where my late client operates an account. The
board of Directors of the bank has issued me a notice that after 2 months
from now and no relation shown up for the claiming of the said funds, the
funds will be confiscated and declared unserviceable. *

*Since The board of Directors of the bank have been unsuccessful in locating
my client relatives for sometime now, it's on this note that I seek your
consent to present you as the relation/next of kin to my late client that
the proceed of this deposit can be released into your account. The amount
deposited $12.8 Million Dollars also i beleived with
interest($12.080.000.00USD) I will agree with you on 60% for you while
40% for me. I guarantee that
this transaction will be executed under a legitimate arrangement which will
protect you from any breach of the law. Upon your response, furnish me with:
*

*Your full name and address
Your telephone and fax numbers
Your occupation and age
As soon as I receive all these information from you I will present it to the
bank Directors that I have locate the relation to my late client since they
asked that I should provide the next of kin for them to release the
inheritance fund. *

*Let me here from you once you acknowledge my email. *

*I'm at your service,
Barr.Tom Williams Esq.
Call me for more informations : + 234 80 341 60065.*

* *

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