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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: Stuart T Gulliver <stuartgulliver@rocketmail.com>
Reply-To: STG@privatebankinghsbc.com
Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2010 04:17:43 -0300
Subject: Urgent



--
Dear,

I am Stuart T Gulliver, Group General Manager, Group Private Banking HSBC.
I am getting in touch with you regarding the estate of a deceased client
with similar last name and an investment placed under our banks management.
I would respectfully request that 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 2000, the subject matter, Mr. Alfred came to our bank to engage in
business discussions with our private banking division. He informed us that
he had a financial portfolio of 18.450 million Great Britain Pounds, which
he wished to have us invest on his behalf.

Based on my advice, we spun 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 10 million Great Britain
Pounds. In late 2003, he instructed that the principal sum (18.450M) be
liquidated because he needed to make an urgent investment requiring cash
payments in Antwerp, Belgium. He directed that I liquidate the funds and
had it deposited with a security consultancy firm based in Madrid, Spain.
The firm is an especially private firm that accepts deposits from high net
worth individuals and blue chip corporations that handle valuable products
or undertake transactions that need immediate access to cash. However the
firm got in touch with us late last year, informing us that this money has
not been claimed. On further enquiries we found out that Mr. Alfred was
involved in an accident in Cannes, South of France. If you are familiar
with private banking affairs, those who patronize our services usually
prefer anonymity. Private banking clients usually in most cases leave wills
in our care, in this case; Mr. Alfred died intestate. He has no next of kin
and the reason I am writing you is because you share the same last name.

What I propose is that since I have exclusive access to his file, you will
be made the beneficiary of these funds. I am prepared to instruct the
security firm to release the deposit to you as the closest surviving
relation. Upon receipt of the deposit, I am prepared to share the money
with you in half. You do not have to have known Alfred. I know this might
be a bit heavy for you but please trust me on this. 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 from my years as a banker, we see so much cash and
funds being re-assigned daily.

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 as soon as possible

I await your response.

Stuart T Gulliver.

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