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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: "John Peterson" <johnpeterson_777@cantv.net>
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 05:19:30 -0430
Subject: Hello

From The Desk Of Mr. John Peterson.
Auditing And Accounting Manager,
 
Dear Friend,
 
 
Everything that happens to one has spiritual significance. I was just leafing through the profiles of some names in the internet before I came through your name. Though, the internet has been grossly abused by scam artist and miscreants whose intention is to hurt. In as much as one should be careful, same time we should not allow negative to kill the positive potential in a realistic business. I have chosen to reach you because I felt that business is taking risk, going from the known to the unknown.

 
I am the manager of Accounts / Operations Department of our bank here in Abidjan Cote D'Ivoire. In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of (US$16.5,million US dollars) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer retired Atlanta physician  Mr.George Brumley Jr,who die in Kenya Airways crash in the coasts of Abidjan in January 2000 in which all passengers on board died. Since then I have made several inquiries to your embassy to locate any of my clients extended relatives but has been unsuccessful.
 
 
Since we got information about his death,we have been expecting his next of kin 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 deceased as indicated in our banking guidlings and laws but unfortunately we learnt that all his supposed next of kin or relation died alongside with him at the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim.
 
 
It is therefore upon this discovery that I now decided to make this business proposal to you and release the money to you as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and we don't want this money to go into the bank treasury as unclaimed bill.

 
The request of foreigner as next of kin in this business is occassioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and an Ivoirienne cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner. I agree that 50% of this money will be for you as a respect to the provision of a foriegn account, While 50% will be for me Thereafter,
All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us see this deal through I guarantee that this will be executed under all legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. In your reply mail, I want you to give me your full names, address, date of birth, telephone and fax numbers. If you can handle this with me,Thanking you for your anticipated cooperation.
 
 
Best Regards,
 

 Mr. John Peterson.

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