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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.

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

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. Martin Nkosi" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <martinnkosi11@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:40:24 +0200
Subject: Please/Confidentiality.

>From Mr. Martin Nkosi
First National Bank
Johannesburg, South Africa.

Good Day,

My name is Mr. Martin Nkosi the manager, Credit and Foreign bills of FIRST NATIONAL BANK SOUTH AFRICA. I am writing in respect of a foreign customer of our bank, whose name is Mr. Cho, Kwiyoung an American citizen who died in a plane crash [Korean Air Flight 801] with the whole passengers on board on August 6, 1997.

Since the demise of this customer, I personally 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$15.5M (Fifteen Million Five Hundred Thousand 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 as no one has come up as his next of kin. And the banking ethics here does not allow such money to stay more than nine 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 a trade/business journal when i was making a research on a foreigner i will use in this great opportunity. For your assistant I am willing to give you 30% of the total amount, only if i believe that i can vest my trust and confidence in you that we can both work this out together in having the funds with drawn from my bank as you being the next of kin.

Upon the receipt of your response, this will enable us start this processing of this claim. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this business is hitch free and that you should not entertain any fear as all modalities for the smooth and easy transfer of this fund has been finalized, Kindly reply to my private e-mail for confidentiality:

Please include your Name /Address/ private Telephone numbers/Fax numbers for quick communication as you get back to me in your response.

Thanks and God bless you.

Yours Sincerely,
Mr. Martin Nkosi
First National Bank
Johannesburg, South Africa.

Anti-fraud resources: