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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: =?iso-8859-1?B?IlJlbmF0YSDFoGthYnJvdWRvdsOhIg==?=
<renata.skabroudova@iol.cz>
Reply-To: ntb_cole@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Sun, 23 Nov 2008 16:07:20 GMT
Subject: URGENT/LUCRATIVE PROPOSAL !




FROM THE DESK OF =3A ANDREW COLE =

=

Dear Friend =2C
=

This mail might come to you as a surprise and the temptation to ignore i=
t as serious could come into your mind but please consider it and accep=
t it with a deep sense of humility=2E Before proceeding=2C I wish to int=
roduce myself to you=3B I am Andrew Cole a staff of NatWest Bank Plc her=
e in London =2C United Kingdom =2C I am the head of the accounts depar=
tment=2EI am pleased to get across to you for a very urgent and profitab=
le business proposal which I believe will profit both of us on completio=
n=2E I contacted you after a careful thought that you might be capable o=
f handling this business transaction=2C which i explained below=2E
=

The sum of (=A3 18=2C500=2C000=2E00 Million Great Britain Pounds)=2C has=
been floating as unclaimed since 2000 in my bank as all efforts to get =
across the relatives of our client who deposited the money have hit the =
stones=2E There is this immigrant Mr=2E Andreas Schranner=2C property ma=
gnate who was based in the U=2EK=2E=2C who happens to be one of our very=
good clients=2E On the 25Th of July 2000=2C Mr=2E Andreas Schranner=2C =
his wife Maria =2C their daughter Andr=E9a Eich=2C her husband Christian=
=2C and their children Katharine and Maximilian all died in the air Fran=
ce concord plane crash bound for New York in their plan for a world crui=
se=2E
=

http=3A//news=2Ebbc=2Eco=2Euk/1/hi/world/europe/859479=2Estm
=

All attempts to trace his next of kin were fruitless=2E My position here=
at my office requires me to investigate and I therefore made further in=
vestigations and discovered that Mr=2E Andreas Schranner did not declare=
any next of kin or relation in all his official documents=2C including =
his bank deposit paperwork in my bank=2EAccording to the British Law=2E =
The money will revert to the ownership of the British government if nobo=
dy applies to claim the fund=2E To avoid this money being sent to the Br=
itish treasury as unclaimed funds=2C I have decided to seek your assista=
nce to have you stand as his next of kin so that the said fund (=A3 18=2C=
500=2C000=2E00 Million Great Britain Pounds)=2C would be released in you=
r name as the next of kin and paid into your account=2EAll documents and=
proof that will have you claim this fund will be forwarded to you witho=
ut any stress upon your response to this mail more soon=2C i want to inf=
orm you that i have unanimously agreed to offer you (=A3 7=2E2M GBP ) of=
the total sum for the assistance and role you are going to play in this=
transaction=2C(=A3 2=2E8M GBP )will be given to charity organizations i=
n your country with your supervision while the remaining will be for me=2E=
Please send your confidential telephone and fax number in your reply to=
this business transaction=2E PLEASE CHANNEL YOUR RESPONSE TO=3A ntb=5Fc=
ole=40yahoo=2Ecom=2Ehk
=

Kind regards=2C
Mr=2E ANDREW COLE =

ACCOUNTS OFFICER =2E

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