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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: "William Chow" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <jhuanhk@keko.net>
Date: Mon, 2 Aug 2010 18:31:06 -0500
Subject: Kindly read and respond.

Good day.
Please, kindly pardon me for getting across to you through this medium. My name is William Chow working with HSH Nordbank AG in Hong Kong. In November, 1999, Richard Kurzok an Indonesian, a contractor with the Iraqi Government and also a businessman, made a Time Investment of Fourteen Million, Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars only in my branch (HSH Nordbank AG Hong Kong) under secured growth funds for (60) sixty calendar months. This Investment has matured and has been lying in our Bank reserve for the past five years. Under the Hong Kong banking laws, any Time Investment unclaimed after six and half years will be turned over to the Hong Kong Government purse. Several notices were sent to him. It was later discovered that Richard Kurzok and his family were killed in a convoy attack in Musol, Iraq. I will like you to stand as the next of kin to Richard Kurzok to receive these funds to your possession for the both of us. Reply strictly if interested with your inform
ation.
Sincerely,
William Chow.

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