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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: "Michael Ponton" <m.ponton2@yahoo.com.hk>
Reply-To: <m.ponton1@yahoo.com.hk>
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:36:21 +0100
Subject: REPLY ASAP

Attention,

This message will be the last notification that I will send to you as my earlier letters to you through Post Office was returned undelivered. Hence I decided to reach you via email because this information needs urgent attention.

I'm contacting you because you bear the same surname with our deceased client who died in 2003, and the management of my bank have issued me a notice to provide an extended next of kin of the deceased or have the account confiscated within the next 14 banking days.

I am the Telex Department manager of my bank and also the personal account officer to the deceased, and I will be disappointed if the labour of my deceased client is confiscated.

So kindly get back to me with your full name and address for appraisal.

Best regards,
Michael Ponton


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