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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: "Dr.Steven Anderson" <andersonfile@att.net>
Reply-To: andersonfile2009@inMail24.com
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 06:13:38 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: From Dr Steven Anderson



>From Dr Steven Anderson
Box 1188, Station B
London, ON N6A 5K2
Occupations:External Auditor

READ AND GET BACK TO ME IMMEDIATELY.

Please do accept my sincere apologies if my mail does not meet your personal ethics although, I wish to use this medium to get in touch with you first because it's fastest means.I am Dr.Steven Anderson , the external auditor of a Bank. During the course of our auditing,I discovered a floating fund in an account opened in the bank in 1990 with holding balance of 46,000,000 (Fourty Six Million British Pounds) and since 2003 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 apparent to the throne" hence the money is floating and if I do not remit this money out urgently it will be forfeited for nothing. The owner of this account who is George S Clason,a foreigner and an industrialist died, since 1990,until now no other person(s) knows about this account or could give any documentary evidence concerning this account. As such this account has no other
beneficiary and my investigation proved to me as well that George S Clason until his death he was best writer.
I have secretly discussed this matter with a top senior minister official of the federal ministry of finance here and we have agreed to find a reliable foreign partner to deal with us although due to his position, he did not want to take active part but as soon as you follow my instructions everything will be successful because we will be working hand in hand with him.

We thus propose to do business with you, standing in as the next of kin of these funds from the deceased and after due legal processes have been followed, the fund will be released to your account without delay and we will use it for investment and to assist the less privileged in the Society because if we left the fund with the government it will be fortified for nothing and will be used to suppress the poor masses in the society.

This transaction is totally free of risk and troubles as the fund is legitimate and does not originate from drug, terrorism or any other illegal act. Finally, I will give you 45% for your corporation, On receipt of your response I will furnish you with detailed clarification as it relates to this mutual benefit transaction.

So what you have to do now is to send me Your account information as states below where you will like the money to be transfered into so that i can send application for the release of the fund in your name immediately. Even an empty account can serve provided
is a valid account.

Account Name...........
Account Number.........
Bank Name..............
Bank Address...........
Swift Code.............
Your Tel/Fax Number....
Your full name, office or Home address?
Your Telephone Nos. both Home, Office and Mobile.?

I look forward to hear from you as soon as possible.
Regards,
Dr Steven Anderson

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