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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: "Edmond Welsch" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <edmonwelsc@aol.com>
Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2010 18:39:47 +0100
Subject: From Edmond Welsch (Bequest)

Good Day
My name is Edmond Welsch, I am the Principle Solicitor in Hegland Group & Chambers “A Private legal Soliciting and Financial Consulting Firm.".
Currently my firm is handling our annual standard process Investigation and financial review, in the cause of this exercise; I came across our late
client’s file, which placed you as the beneficiary to his Assets as his close relative. This file contains a deposit certificate for his Fixed Investment
Deposit with Fidelity Investment International here in UK, in the value of Twenty Five Million British Pounds Sterling’s. I do hereby contact you in
consideration of his last wish. He died intestate and nominated you as the successor in title over his investments with Fidelity Investment. I contact
you independently of our investigation with no one being informed of this communication due to the high priority surrounding this bequest. Being the
legal executor of this Financial Review and Auditing, I will prepare to place you in a position to instruct the Investment firm to release
the deposit to you as the beneficiary of this Inheritance. You shall be nominated as the next of kin and through my office; I will have them release
the deposit to you by carrying out the necessary legal procedures to transfer ownership of Inheritance to you.

I am aware of the need for confidentiality in this letter, owing to the fact that Inheritance information are highly secured to avoid wrong claimant or
third party interest. I ask that if you find no interest in this claim that you should discard this mail. Please do not be vindictive and destructive
because of the privilege to have this information, as it is pertinent that I protect this Asset and any information surrounding this claim. Once more, if
this letter is of no appeal to you, delete this message and avoid leakage to the wrong person.
I am the only one who knows of this situation, and good fortune has blessed and planted you into the center of relevance in life. If you find yourself
able to make this claim, contact me via email for further details and correspondence towards achieving this claim.

I will initiate this process towards a successful transfer of this Inheritance to you via a convenient International Money Transfer medium that would protect
you from any breach of law, all legal/probate documentations will be processed to validate/ transfer ownership to you as required in due cause. Please send
me your contact details, number and address in your response. I would respectfully request that you keep the contents of this mail private and
respect the integrity of the information you come by as a result of this mail.

Kind regards,
Mr. Edmond Welsch
Principle Legal Officer
Hegland Group & Chambers Int'l
Legal Solicitors/Financial Consultants/Asset Security

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