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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: "Mr. Richard Meng Tan" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <Mboom@asia.com>
Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2011 20:58:51 -0700
Subject: With Due Respect!!!

>From Mr. Richard Boon Meng Tann

My name is Richard Boon Meng Tann. I trained and work as an external
auditor for Bank of East Asia Ltd (BEA) Singapore. I Work as part of a
bigger team that covers the entire Asian region. I have taken pains to
find your contact through personal endeavor.

On routine audit check last month, I discovered some investment accounts
that have been dormant for the last fourteen (14) years, all the accounts
belonging to a single holder with monies totaling a little above
(41,100,000.00) Forty-One Million One Hundred Thousand United States
Dollars. Banking regulation in Singapore demands that the fiscal
authorities are notified when accounts are dormant for this period, so
that the funds can be called in by the regulatory bodies. The above set of
facts underscores my reason of writing and making the following proposal.

My investigations of the said account reveals that the investor died in
1997—the exact time the account was last operated, I can confirm with
certainty that the said investor died intestate and no
next–of–kin has
been found or has come forward all these years. I am of the settled
conviction that using my insider leverage and working with you, we can
secure the funds instead of allowing it pass as an unclaimed fund into the
coffers of the Singapore Government. This is especially possible as you
bear the same LAST NAME to the said investor, and can stand as his
extended relative. This exactly is why I crave your participation and
co-operation.

I have seized all relevant documents (Legal and Banking) including access
to the very account of the deceased. This will facilitate my putting you
forward as the claimant/beneficiary of the funds and ultimately transfer
the money to any account nominated by you. You shall be rewarded for your
part in this transaction with 40% of the total funds for your efforts,
less any expenses. I shall however leave out the final details of this
transaction till I receive an affirmation of your desire to participate.
Be assured that I am on top of the situation. There will be no risk
involved whatsoever if you agree to come on board. Needless to say, UTMOST
CONFIDENTIALITY is of vital importance if we are to successfully reap the
immense benefits of this transaction. I guarantee that the transaction
will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect us from
any breach of law.



Your prompt response will be highly appreciated.

Kind Regards,


Mr. Richard Boom Meng Tann


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