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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: David Thorburn <nika8@neostrada.pl>
Reply-To: davthorburn@yahoo.cn
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2011 01:47:33 +0100
Subject: SEPTEMBER 21, 2011...

This mail might sound surprising, this is for real. There is this floating fund which is to the tune of Forty-Nine Million Seven Hundred Thousand Pounds (49,700,000.00 British Pounds Sterling) which has been floating in one account in my bank, since 2005, after the death of the true owner of the funds.
I found out that nobody has ever come on behalf of the late deceased as his next of kin to claim the funds and I have been monitoring this account since I discovered this information. View the website for more information: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5171222.stm .

Reply urgently.
D T.

Anti-fraud resources: