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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: "Dave Coleman" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <davecoleman112@sify.com>
Date: Mon, 8 Feb 2010 11:11:30 +0100
Subject: Request For Urgent Business Relationship

>From The Desk Of Dave Coleman
Department: Senior Manager Accounts/Audit
Nat West Bank London

Good day, I apologize for sending you this sensitive information via e-mail Instead of a Certified/Post-mail. This is due to the urgency and importance of the information. I humbly crave your indulgence to read this e-mail with all seriousness of purpose devoid of any doubt in your mind because this project is based on trust, confidentiality and sincerity of purpose in order to have an acceptable meeting of the minds.although, we have never met before, but i have every reason to believe that you are a highly respected personality, considering the fact that i got your e- mail address through internet my online network, while searching for a reliable and reputable person that can handle this transaction.
I am a senior manager accounts/audit in Nat West Bank London.

I am writing following an opportunity in my office that will be of immense benefit to both of us. In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of £10.5 (Ten million five hundred Thousand Pounds Only) in an account that belong to one of our foreign customers late Mr.Morris Thompson an American who unfortunately lost his life in the plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 which crashed on January 31 2000,including his wife and only daughter. Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin or relatives to come over and claim his money, because we cannot release it unless some body applies for it as next of kin or relation to the decease as indicated in our banking guidelines.

Unfortunately i discovered that his supposed next of kin being his only daughter died along with him in the plane crash leaving nobody with the knowledge of the funds behind for claim.

It is therefore upon this discovery that i and two other officials in this department now decided to make business with you and release the money to you as the next of kin or beneficiary of the funds for safety keeping and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and we don't want this money to go back into government treasury as unclaimed bill.

The banking law and guidelines here stipulates that any unclaimed money after ten years will be transferred into banking treasury account as unclaimed funds.

We agreed that 35% of this money would be for you as foreign partner, while the balance will be for my colleagues and I.

I will visit your country for disbursement according to the percentage indicated above, once this money gets into your account.

Please be honest with me.

To commence this transaction, we require you to immediately indicate your interest by a return e-mail and enclose the Following information:

1. full name
2: Your private telephone and Fax numbers.
3. Occupations and Nationality.

Note this transaction is confidential and risk free.As soon as you receive this email,please contact me through my private E-mail address (davecoleman112@sify.com) Please note that all the necessary arrangement for the smooth release of these funds to you has been finalized.We will discuss much in details when i do receive your response.

Best regards
Dave Coleman

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