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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: Petru Saracut <saracut185@eircom.net>
Reply-To: "Mr. Petru Saracut" <psaracut@maktoob.com>
Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2010 19:48:48 +0100 (IST)
Subject: Request for Next of Kin/Will Beneficiary

Subject: Next of Kin/Will Beneficiary to GBP 12,500,000.00 British Pounds Sterling.

Dear Friend,

I am seeking for your co-operation to present you to my bank as the next of kin/will beneficiary to Late Mr. Richard Burson, a foreign contractor from United States of America who died on a plane crash in 1999 (Egypt Air Flight 990) with his wife Lenor Burson. His wife and their two children also perished in the air crash on their way to vacation. please view link http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/502503.stm

Before his death, he was a contractor to British National Petroleum Co-operation (BNPC) and has a bank balance with my bank to the tune of (Twelve Million, Five hundred Thousand British Pounds sterling GBP) which will be paid to you as his Next of Kin/Will Beneficiary. For your information, I am the Head of Investigation Department of our bank.

The board of directors of my bank which I am also a member, mandated me to look for any known relation of Late Mr. Richard Burson since after his death. However, all my efforts to trace his next of kin was not successful because he has no next of kin and none was mentioned in his official documents in our bank, that is the main reason I am contacting you to ask for your co-operation to stand as his next of kin, because it will amount to injustice if I do not take this decisive step to secure this deposit and invest it.

If nobody comes forward to claim the fund, it will be forfeited to the government, based on that, I am contacting you to assist me in making this transaction a reality. I only have to approve you as the next of kin/will beneficiary and the fund will be paid to you as the beneficiary. We are to share this money between ourselves and also donate 10% to charity and the Haiti earthquake victims if you are interested in this offer, please contact me through this email address: psaracut1946@maktoob.com

For details of this transaction and procedures, please do forward me your Full Name, Age, Marital Status and Address, Phone/Mobile Number, Your Company Name or Occupation
these info will enable me commence immediately to secure all legal documents in your favor on your acceptance to fully co-operate with me.

I await your urgent response to enable us start this project and nurture it to reality.

Yours faithfully,

Mr. Petru Saracut
Head of Investigation Department

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