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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: Clement Martins <clementmartins@sify.com>
Date: Fri, 14 May 2010 09:39:47 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Sincere Greeting,


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Sincere
Greeting,
 
Thank you for
reading my mail. I am
contacting you concerning a customer and, an investment placed under our
banks
management years ago, I contacted you independently of my investigation
and no
one is informed of this communications and I would like to intimate you
with
certain facts that I believe would be of interest to you. 

 
I’M, Mr
Clement Martins,
 I am the Auditing and Accounting Manager with my Bank of
Africa
Ouagadougou Burkina Faso. In my department I discovered an abandoned sum
of
(US$8.5million us dollars) in an account that belongs to one of our
foreign
customer. There is no person that is coming for the money that is why I
am
contacting you to stand for the claim of the money into your bank
account.
 
I need your
help to assist me take
the money away from the bank, And after then will shall share in ratio
of 45%
for you and 55% for me while there should be some kind expenses bear in
mind,
that whatever we spent will be deducted from the fund before sharing of
the fund
accordingly to percentage.
 
Please contact
me urgently so we can
commence all arrangements and I Will give you more information’s on how
we would
handle this project successfully and also you will abide to my
instruction.
Please treat this business with almost confidentiality and send me the
Following
Information’s immediately.
 
(1)Your full
name...

(2)Your
address
(3Your
country...

(4) Your
age...

(5)Your
occupation.......

(6)Your
Private Phone number,

 
I will send
you my details of this
transaction as soon as I hear from you thanks, trusting to hear from you

immediately with your contact information, Note this please: Reply me
with this
email address please for security purpose (clementmartins@sify.com)


 
My Regard.
Mr Clement
Martins



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