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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: "Prince Jefri Bolkiah" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <princejefribb@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2010 17:51:38 +0100
Subject: REPLY

Dear Friend,
I believe i can call you friend. I am Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei . I am the youngest of the Sultan's three brothers. But its like a joke being called a prince. The Bruneian royal family have turned me into an outcast. I am presently in Europe .
For more details, kindly visit my Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefri_Bolkiah My Brother the Sultan of Brunei masterminded and initiated much evil against me. He envied me as a person, he envied my life style, he was intimidated by my way of life, and thus plotted with his infidel advisers to get me arrested for nothing. He leveled all forms of corruption allegations against me. He accused me of taking US$16 billion of the royal treasury's money. He labeled me a criminal and ordered for my arrest. My Brother the Sultan of Brunei did this to me his younger brother.
Yes i agree that I spent Money, but I am bewildered by the accusation that i misspent $16billion. It's not that easy to hide, I keep asking the lawyers, where did it go? I have already turned over billions of dollars worth of property, including the Plaza Athénée hotel in Paris , The New York Palace Hotel, the giant yacht, Airplanes, the car collection, and more than 100 paintings by Picasso, Renoir, Modigliani and others. Late last year, I surrendered five rare diamonds, secured in a Europe vault, valued at roughly $200 million. My Brother the Sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah, has ruled since 1967.
He is the world's wealthiest ruler, with an estimated fortune of $22 billion. DESPITE HIS WEALTH, he still feels intimidated by my little Money. I have turned over the various assets, but my brother the Sultan will not let me keep enough money to maintain a more modest version of my prior lifestyle.
Now the Sultan's advisers have started legal proceedings to evict me from my London mansion. We don't know where we are going to live. They want me to give it all back, now i am worried that i may soon be homeless and forced into bankruptcy. While in Brunei , my favorite car to drive was a Ferrari 550, a sleek sports coupe that i used to take for a spin late at night when the roads were quiet. Now, I like the Mini. I drive a black small mini around europe .
I am been watched by private detectives employed by my Brother the Sultan. He wants to ruin me, but he cannot. My friend, i don't know you, but i strongly need you to be of help to me. I want you to take me as a friend in need and do something for me that will also benefit you.
Right now i cannot trust anybody close to me. I have been betrayed by my friends and family and I am tired of talking to lawyers. I prefer to take the risk of soliciting the assistance of a stranger. You may think i am going crazy, but i am very sane. As it stands, i am about to go into hiding and this would mean living in worse conditions than i am now but i believe that it would be better of because i am placing faith in this letter that with your help i would live the sort of life i deserve with my family. I have some funds stashed in foreign countries, but i cannot touch these funds hence they are discovered by my King Brother watching my every move like a Hawk. I need you to assist me in these financial steps of securing my entitlements.
You will benefit immensely from this financial exercise. I am an easy going gentleman, so please be rest assured that my business relationship with you will be very sincere and this friendship will extend to our children.

Yours Sincerely,

Prince Jefri Bolkiah

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