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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: "EFCC Care-Center Intelligence-Monitoring Network" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <efcccarecenter@yahoo.cn>
Date: Sat, 28 May 2011 22:25:02 -0400
Subject: Your payment has been clear for release, so confirm your interest immediately.

Attention Fund Beneficiary,

This is to bring to your notice that our Care Center Intelligence-Monitoring Network and in collaboration with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) office in Nigeria carried an investigation that cleared you as the true beneficiary of $10,500,000.00MillionUSD being an inheritance payment from Late George W. Wilson who was a contractor with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporations before his death, this payment was paid by the Central Bank of Nigeria to Barrister Williams Saraki who is the Lawyer to late George W. Wilson and the investigation was carried after his report that one John wheeler has claimed to be your representative and next of Kin to you but the information gathered was that he is only impersonating and claiming this fraudulently to inherit the said payment from the Lawyer.

Now our office has arrested this man called (John Wheeler) but before we can further prosecute him for theft, impersonation and fraudulent act, which is against our law in (section-419), we write to confirm from you if you have any knowledge of him or if you have authorized him in your stead for the inheritance payment but if not then get back quickly to confirm your ignorant of him.

Note that this notification is to alert you of our current effort made to assist you in recovering your unpaid funds with Central Bank of Nigeria. You are advice to get back quickly and not later than the next 48hrs from today with a full details of your contact information as stated below to enable us revalidate it with central bank of Nigeria.

Your full name:
Full contact address:
Direct phone number:
Age, Sex, Status etc:

We hope and anticipate your full corporations soon.

Yours faithfully,

Inspector Harris Onyema
(Director of operations)

Anti-fraud resources: