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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: "Barrister Agwo Ndu" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <barragwondu1@w.cn>
Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2010 03:59:59 +0100
Subject: ATTENTION URGENT MESSAGE

Barrister Agwo Ndu (Advocat at law)
Carré No 48 St, Maria
01 B.P 972 Cotonou, Republic Du Benin
Tel : +229 98 16 8035

Attention Beneficiary ;

I am Agwo Ndu, Private attorney to Late Mr. peter , a national of your country, who used to work as a Managing Director of Shell (Oil Company) in Republic of Benin West Africa. On the 23rd of December 2006, Mr Peter lost his life as a result of lung cancer, as confirmed by a medical specialist who has been taking care of his illness for over Three month before his death.

Since then I have made several enquiries to your foreign authorities to locate any member of his family so that they can take his corps back to your country for a befiting burial and to claim his accets here in Benin, but all efforts to locate any of his extended relative was just in vain, and his corps was later buried here in Benin at the national cemetry.

After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to track His last name over the Internet, to locate any member of his Family hence I contacted you. I have contacted you to assist in Repatriating some accets (money) left behind by Mr. Peter before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by the Centeral Apex Bank here in Republic of Benin (West Africa).

These huge deposits were lodged with "International Bank Benin" where Mr.Peter had an account valued at about $10.9 million dollars (Ten Million Nine Hundred Thousand United States Dollars). Since I have been unsuccessful in Locating the relatives for over Four years, The Bank has issued me a notice to provide the relatives of Mr. Peter for repatriation of the money or have the account closed down and the money confiscated.

Now I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin of the deceased since you have the same surname, so that the proceeds of this account valued at $10.9 million dollars can be paid to your account or to your family account, all i request is 10% of the total sum. All I require is your honest co-operation to enable us seeing this noble claim through.

To avoid eye brow and to mark the success of this transfer, both of us must agree to keep this transaction between both of us. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. I want you to send your mobile telephone number to facilitate oral communication.
You can call me at +229 98 16 8035 after replying .

Barrister Agwo Ndu
(Advocat at law) .
+229 98 16 8035


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