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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: "Morris Williams" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <morriswilliams02@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 8 Aug 2009 08:42:32 +0100
Subject: Good Day Friend(Attention)

FROM THE OFFICE OF
BARRISTER MORRIS WILLIAMS
LAW CHAMMBER,
United Kingdom
Tel:+447035974179
Dear Friend/Urgent Reply Needed
Good day,

I am sorry for the embarrassment this mail may caused you, as we have not met before. I am Morris Williams, a solicitor at law, I am the personal attorney to Engineer Frank Shaikh a national of your country, who used to work with Shell Development Company,referred as my client. On the 21st of April 2006, my client, his wife and their children were involved in a car accident while arriving from Easter Holiday to Soctland. All occupants of the vehicle unfortunately lost their lives. Since then I have made several enquiries to your Embassy to locate any of my client's extended relatives but this has proved unsuccessful.

I came across your name and contact on internet, while I was searching for Frank's relations. Since my search was unsuccessful, I decided to contact you for this project. I am contacting you to assist in repatriating the money and properties left behind by my client before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by the Finance House where these funds were deposited. Particularly, the finance house where the deceased deposited as family treasure, a consignment valued USD12Million, last year issued me a 12 months notice to provide the Next of Kin or have the fund consignment confiscated, and this ultimatum expires by next month.

Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over two years now, I seek your consent to present you as the Next of Kin so that the proceed of this deposit valued at USD12 Million can be released to you and then you and I can share the money, 40% for me 40% for you, and the remaining 20% will be for expenses and tax.

He made the money in one of the Oil deals he had with our Oil Ministers. I also have all necessary legal documents that can be used to back up any claim we may make. All I require is your honest co-operation to enable
us see this business through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law.

As we proceed you will begin to realise that it is risk free.Only i have to instruct you on what and what to do at everytime.

Get in touch with me through my email address or the alternative email address: morriswilliams06@gmail.com, so we can proceed.

Sincerely yours,
Morris Williams


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