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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: "Ruiz Valdez" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <ruizvaldez@live.com>
Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2011 13:00:10 -0800
Subject: Urgent Proposal!

The Barristers' Chambers:
Ruiz Valdez & Associates
Phone:+34634101687

PARTNER MANAGING
Ruiz Valdez & ASSOCIATES
Madrid, Spain.

On behalf of the Trustees and Executor of the estate of Late Eng.
Jurgen Krugger, I once again try to notify you as my earlier letter
was returned undelivered. I hereby attempt to reach you again by this
same email address on the WILL. I wish to notify you that late Jurgen
Krugger made you a beneficiary in his WILL. He left the sum of Seven
Million, One Hundred Thousand Dollars(US$7,100,000.00) to you in the
Codicil and last testament to his WILL.

This may sound strange and unbelievable to you, but it is real and
true.Being a widely traveled man, he must have met you sometime in the
past or simply you were nominated to him by one of his numerous
friends abroad who must have wished you good (I am not too sure).
According to him, this money is to support your humanitarian/medical
activities and to help the poor and the needy in our society. Please
if I reach you as I am hopeful, endeavor to get back to me as soon as
possible to enable me conclude my job. I hope to hear from you in no
distant time.

I am sincerely sorry if you feel bothered or embarrassed by this message.

I await your prompt response to my personal email address for further
detail or better still you give me a call.

Yours in Service,
Ruiz Valdez.
PRINCIPAL PARTNER

Anti-fraud resources: