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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: "Mr Tzu Chen Hung" <tzuchenhungpaid@hotmail.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: tzuchenhung@wwjd.ru
Date: Sun, 30 May 2010 21:47:20 -0000 (UTC)
Subject: Very Urgent Get Back To Me

>From The Desk of Tzu-Chen Hung
Telephone: +82-8191-4421
Fax: +852-30-860
E-Mail: tzuchenhung@wwjd.ru

I am contacting you with regards the estate of Mr. Clifford Braithwaite
and an investment placed in our bank 5 years ago.
It is important you keep the contents of this mail confidential and
respect the integrity of the information you come by as a result of this
mail.
I contact you independently and no one is informed of this communication.
In 2003, the subject matter; Mr. Clifford Braithwaite came to our bank to
engage in business discussions with our private banking division.
He informed us that he had a financial portfolio of 8.35 million United
States dollars, which he wished to have us invest on his behalf.
Based on my advice, we invested the money around various opportunities and
made attractive margins for our first months of
operation, the accrued profit and interest stood at this point at over 11
million United States Dollars. In mid 2006, he instructed that the
principal sum (8.35M) be liquidated because he needed to make an urgent
investment requiring cash payments in Hong Kong . We got in touch with a
specialist bank in Hong Kong the Chong Hing Bank who agreed to receive
this money for a fee and make cash available to Mr Clifford Braithwaite.
However Chong Hing Bank got in touch with us last year that this money has
not been claimed.
On further enquiries we found out that Mr Clifford Braithwaite was
involved in an accident in Mainland China , which means he died intestate.
He has no next of kin and the reason I am writing you is that i intend to
make you next of kin. What I propose is that since I have exclusive access
to his file,
you will be made the beneficiary of these funds. My bank will contact you
informing you that money has been willed to you. On
verification, which will be the details I make available to my bank, my
bank will instruct Chong Hing Bank to make payments to you.
You do not have to have known him. I know this might be a bit heavy for
you but please trust me on this. For all your troubles I propose that we
split the money in half. In the banking circle this happens every time.
The other option is that the money will revert back to the state. Nobody
is getting hurt; this is a lifetime opportunity for us. I hold the KEY to
these funds, and as a Chinese National we see so much cash and funds being
re-assigned daily. I would want us to keep communication for now strictly
by the above contact details. Please, again, note I am a family man; I
have a wife and children. I send you this mail not without a measure of
fear as to the
consequences, but I know within me that nothing ventured is nothing gained
and that success and riches never come easy or on a platter of gold.
This is the one truth I have learned from my private banking clients. Do
not betray my confidence. If we can be of one accord, we should act
swiftly on this. Please get back to me immediately via the above contact
details.

I await your response.
Tzu-Chen Hung.


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