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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: "Farrer & Co" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <farrerco@googlemail.com>
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2010 19:29:43 -0500
Subject: Legal Notice for you

FARRER & Co.
London EC1V 2PT
U.K.


Good day


Following the gazette by The Chancellor of the Exchequer to all financial
institutions with National Savings and Investments to estimate the value of
its unclaimed assets in savings with no customer activity for 15 years with a
view to harness around 1bn pounds lying dormant in the nation’s bank and
building society accounts for re-investment in the UK, the NCC has commissioned
FARRER & CO to seek out legal beneficiaries/Heirs to unclaimed asset as
a means to ensure that genuine claims are not reverted to the government
treasury and to maintain public confidence in the safety and security of the
banking system.


I work for Farrer & Co, a U.K. law firm that arranges asset management and
storage of special valuables for reputable clients. We have information
concerning of the availability of a bank deposit box which has been listed in
your name. You are the beneficiary of the deposit box which contains
2,500,000.00 (Two Million five Hundred thousand British Pound Sterling). The
lease on the Safe deposit box has expired and no further rental payments or
claims have since been made since dormancy.


Financial assets are considered unclaimed when contact with an owner or
beneficiary is lost for an extended period and the lease expired without
further rental payments or claims. This often happens due to a name change
after marriage or divorce, an unreported change of address or expired postal
forwarding order, incomplete, illegible records and result of computer and
clerical errors. When owners or their heirs fail to claim an asset over a
specified number of years known as the dormancy period, those left holding the
money: banks, stock brokers, utilities, employers, life insurance companies
and others - transfer custody to a special trust account in a process known as
escheat.


We have traced this bank deposit to you as the listed beneficiary and you are
advised to contact this office immediately for release proceedings to commence
with the courts.


Yours Faithfully,
David Copping
Associate Solicitor
Farrer & Co.
London WC2A 3LH
United Kingdom


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