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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: "PRINCE FAYAD H. BOLKIAH" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <bruneldarussalaminfo@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:53:46 +0100
Subject: investment

Hello ,
I need you to read this email message carefully because it is very imperative. I am contacting you foran Urgent Business Transaction and further explicit investment information about your country.I am PRINCE FAYAD H.BOLKIAH, the eldest son of PRINCE JEFRI BOLKIAH who was the former Finance Minister of Brunei. Brunei Darussalam is a small country located in the northwest of the island of Borneo and governed by His Majesty SHEIK HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH MU'IZZADDIN WADDAULAH.

I will save your time by not amplifying my extended Royal Family history which has already been disseminated by the international media during the controversial dispute that erupted between my father and his stepbrother, the sultan of Brunei SHEIK HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH. As you may know from the international media, the Sultan had accused my father of financial mismanagement and impropriety of US$14.8 Billion.

This was as a result of the Asian financial crisis which made my father company Amedeo development Corporation(ADC) and government owned Brunei Investment Agency(BIA) to be declared bankrupt during his tenure in office. PRINCE JEFRI BOLKIAH was relieved of his post as Finance Minister of Brunei and was stripped of his chairmanship post as head of the nation's international investment arm, the Brunei Investment Agency in February 1998. The Agency controls 13 companies & Brunei's overseas assets.

In July 1998, SHEIK HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH barred trading by Amedeo Development Corporation when the world's biggest corporate debt of US$14.8 Billion came to light. In September the 1998, the Sultan ordered an investigation of the BIA by accountants KPMG after the Brunei government alleged that"large sums of money" had been misappropriated to companies controlled by PRINCE JEFRI BOLKIAH. The Sultan then asked the Bank of England to help track down an alleged 28 Billion British Pounds of state and family funds said to be "missing" On the 02/10/1998 PRINCE JEFRI BOLKIAH flew from London in a private jet and wasgoing to settle matters directly with SHEIK HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH.

PRINCE JEFRI drove straight to his seaside palace at Jerudong, about 10 miles south of the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan. He was due to meet with officials of the Amedeo Development Corporation and visit the sultan. After series of meetings relations between the Royals appeared to deteriorate quickly. However,my father was arrested, his Bank Accounts and private properties including a crude oil export refinery & three large oil wells which were later confiscated by the sultanate.

Furthermore, during this unfortunate period i was advised to evacuate my immediate family outside the sultanate to avoid further prosecution from the sultan and his security operatives. Before I could do that I was placed under house arrest by SHEIK HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH. You can visit the websites below for a better understanding of the situation:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/670959.stm

http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/magazine/2000/0310/nat.brunei.jefri.html

http://www.brudirect.com/DailyInfo/News/y2k/May2006/230506.htm

I have a Palm V hand-held computer from which I am sending you this mail. Before my arrest, I went ahead to dispatch the sum of US$1 Billion in cash under special arrangement into the custody of different Offshore Banks and Private security and Trustee companies for safe keeping abroad. The money where split and kept in the following countries in this proportion: US$500 Million is indifferent offshore Bank accounts while the rest are with Private Deposit & Trustee companies with:- US$50 Million is in England, US$100 Million is in Spain,US$100 Million is in Arabia,

US$80 Million is in United Arab Emirate and the balance US$170 Millions in Malaysia.I am unable to reach my friends & associates whom would have provided all the much needed moral and financial assistance i require to release the funds because my private/personal diary was seized by my uncle SHEIK HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH who also happens to be the Sultan of Brunei.Hence, I seek your good will & assistance to receive and invest these funds into profitable investment in your country to facilitate future survival for my family abroad. I will compensate adequately for your strong cooperation.I am counting on your absolute confidentiality and transparency while looking forward to your prompt reply towards a swift conclusion of this business transaction. You can include your direct Mobile phone number. I will advice you reply to my private email address for security reason: fayadbinbin@maktoob.com


I await your Urgent Reply.
Wassalam & Best Regards,

PRINCE FAYAD H. BOLKIAH
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

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