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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: "King" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <charlesking65@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 3 Feb 2010 07:44:20 +1100
Subject: Hello Friend,

Hello Friend,
 
Please I want you to read this letter that am written to you, I only need your help and i want you to read it and understand it carefully by reading the letter just only help from you.
 
Partner please if you finish by reading the letter just contact me with immediately effect.
I will be looking forward to receive your letter.
 
I need your assistance to stand as a beneficiary to the sum of $6.5,millions united state dollars lying down unclaimed in our bank, what really happened is that during the course of our auditing last week, I discovered a floating fund in an account opened in the bank in the year 1998 and since 1999 nobody has operated on this account again, after going through some old files in the records I discovered that the owner of the account died without a [Heir/WILL] hence the money is floating and if I do not remits this money out urgently it will be forfeited for nothing.
 
The owner of this account Mr. Toni Choate an American and great industrialist and a resident of Visalia California, who unfortunately lost his life in the plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 which crashed, including his wife and only daughter leaving nobody to claim the money.
 
Ever since his death the money has been lying unclaimed. Now I need your co-operation to claim this money because only someone from foreign country can stand as the beneficiary. And the Banking law stipulates that any money lying unclaimed for six years will be transferred to federal government suspend account with central bank of Nigeria.
Please I need your assistance to achieve this great chance because i do not wish this money transferred to Central bank of Nigeria because it will be shared among the top directors.
 
No other person knows about this account or any thing concerning it, the account has no other beneficiary and my investigation proved to me as well that the account is a secret account between the late owner of the man and the wife and only daughter. The total amount involve is $6.5,million United States Dollars only and I wish to transfer this money into a safe foreigners account abroad.
 
But I don't know any foreigner, I am only contacting you as a foreigner because this money can not be approved to a local person here, but to a foreigner who has adequate information about the account and the late owner which I shall give to you upon your positive respond .I am revealing this to you with believe in God that you will never let me down in this business, you are the first and the only person that I am contacting for this business
I need your strong assurance that you will never let me down, and I guarantee that this transaction will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect You from any breach of the law, and after the transfer I will destroy all documents of transaction immediately we receive this money leaving no trace to any place.
 
I assure you that I will use my position and influence to obtain all legal approvals for onward transfer of this money to your account with appropriate clearance from the relevant ministries and foreign exchange departments. At the conclusion of this business, you will be given 30% of the total amount and 65% will be for me and 5% will be set for any cost that may come up during the transfer processing.
 
Please I want you to be honest with me because this money is a golden opportunity to me and I do not want to loose it. For the business to be effected I will need the following information from you:
 
1.Your full name:
2.Your full residential address:
3.Your direct telephone number:
4.Your date of birth and occupation:
 
 
With all these information’s I will successfully inputs your name in the necessary files and also insert your information into the bank central computer as the next of kin to the late depositor and the sole beneficiary of the unclaimed fund after the demise of the depositor.
Note that I need to insert your name into the bank central computer and a file will be opened in your name, so with these information i will definitely commence with the processing of the fund in your name, so that when you are contacting the bank your name will appear in the bank central computer as the next of kin to the late depositor.
 
I want you to know that this transaction is 100%risk free because all necessary documents to prove u as the beneficiary will be processed with your name. I want you to handle this business offer with utmost confidentiality and keep it as top secret because my Bank must not know that I gave you this information.
 
Furthermore after the whole processing of the fund in your name you will need to contact the bank which I shall give you the contact information and the required proofs which you shall offer the bank as the heir and you will apply for the transfer of the fund to your bank account.
 
After you might have applied for the release of the said fund and as soon as your letter reach the desk of the director an official and professional responses will be given to your letter of application, an official verification will be followed to screen your information contained in your application letter in the bank central computer and I assure you that your information will be met in the bank central computer as the next of kin, beneficiary and claimant of the said fund.
 
As soon as you are been confirmed as the next of kin, the bank director will give you an official invitation to come down to Nigeria because there are valuable and vital governmental certificate and banking documents that required your original signature which you are to sign here in Nigeria originally as the beneficiary of the fund before the release of the fund could be effected. In this case I will advise you to apply for the documents to be sent to you by courier service at your own cost meaning that you will have to pay the courier fee that may be charged by the bank to enable the industry send you the documents due to your inability to come down to Nigeria to sign the documents.
 
If you agree this I want you to state it clearly in your reply to enable me to be able to commence with the processing of the fund in your name. Immediately you apply for the documents to be sent to you by courier service the bank director will ask you to send the courier fee and as soon as you send the courier fee the whole documents will be sent to you by courier service and you will have these documents signed originally in accordance with the bank procedure after you finish to sign the documents the fund will be released to your account in the next 4 to 5 working days.
 
I hope you understand me? If so please act in accordance with me by sending me a mail with require information needed for the commencement of the processing of the fund.
 
Note that your utmost confidentiality as regards this transaction is required. You are to keep it top secret and confidential matters for us to progress, achieve our aims and finally for security reason
 
Best Regard's
Mr. Charles King

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