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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 Klaus Franz" <barr.klausfranz@venecal.com>
Reply-To: barr.klausfranz1@qatar.io
Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 07:34:33 -0400
Subject: Dear Legatee Availability Of A Deposit Box In Your Name!

DOLPHIN CHAMBERS
FROM THE DESK
BARRISTER KLAUS FRANZ
19 New Bridge Street
London EC4V 6AU.
DX 162 Chancery Lane
United Kingdom

I am the sole executor and trustee of the estate of a testator and I
hereby attempt to reach you again by this same email address stated on
the TRUST as my previous notification to you was returned undelivered.
Please if I reach you this time as I am hopeful Endeavour to get back
to me. I have information concerning the availability of a safe
deposit box with a bank which has been listed in your name. The
testator made you the beneficiary of the deposit box which contains
314,000GBP as a secret trust.

Secret trust arises where a person called the testator transfers
property to another party (the legatee) to be held on trust for the
benefit of a beneficiary who does not know that such a trust exists
until the time stated in the instrument creating the trust have
reached.

Financial assets like this are considered unclaimed when contact with
a beneficiary is lost for an extended period or the where about is
unknown to the executors of the trust. This often happens due to a
name change after marriage or divorce, an unreported change name and
address or expire postal forwarding order, incomplete, illegible
records and result of computer and clerical errors. When legatee fail
to claim an asset/funds over a specified period known as the dormancy
period, those left holding the trust property(funds)in a case like
this where the trust was invested, had ordered transfer custody to a
special trust account in a process known as escheat. Your inheritance
is now escheated to the bank.

My duty is to provide legal assistance and claims administration for
transfer of custody of the funds to you as the sole and legal
beneficiary. Upon your response to this email, I shall provide you
will further information on the release of the funds to you .I look
forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.

Godspeed,
Barrister Klaus Franz
Email: barr.klaus.franz@qatar.io

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