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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: Barrister Scott Harvard <info1@aol.es>
Reply-To: harvardbarr@aol.es
Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 22:41:17 +0200
Subject: NOTIFICATION OF BEQUEST

Scott Harvard
Practice Areas: General Practice; Corporate Law;
Commercial Law; Technology Contracts; Distribution
Agreements; International Trade Contracts
Madrid, Spain

NOTIFICATION OF BEQUEST

On behalf of the Trustees and Executor of the estate of Late Engr.
Fernando Sergio Morales;I once again try to notify you as my earlier
letter returned undelivered.

I hereby attempt to reach you again by this same email address on the
WILL. I wish to notify you that late Engr. Fernando Sergio Morales
made you a beneficiary to his WILL. He left the sum of Six Million One
Hundred Thousand Dollars (USD$6,100.000.00 ) to you in the codicil
and last testament to his WILL.

This may sound strange and unbelievable to you, but it is real and
true. Being a widely traveled man, he must have been in contact with
you in the past or simply you were recommended to him by one of his
numerous friends abroad who wished you good. Engr. Fernando Sergio
Morales until his death was a member of the Helicopter Society and the
Institute of Electronic & Electrical Engineers. He had a very good
heart and loved to give out.

His great philanthropy earned him numerous awards during his life
time. Late Engr.Fernando Sergio Morales died on the 13th day of
December,2005 at the age of 80 years, and his WILL is now ready for
execution.

According to him this money is to support your humanitarian activities
and to help the poor and the needy in our society. Please if I reach
you this time as I am hopeful, endeavor to get back to me as soon as
possible to enable me conclude my job. Endeavor to reply to my
E-mail: barristarscottharvard@yahoo.com.hk for prompt response to your
plight.

Yours in Service,
Barrister Scott Harvard (Principal Partner)

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