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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: "Steven Edward" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <stevenlawfirm@live.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:44:33 -0500
Subject: Confidential Transfer

Dearest Friend.

My Name is Steven Edward, a London Based Attorney with one of the leading law Firm in London England (Thompsons Solicitors in Central London). I formerly worked for them and had a client Mr.

John Simplot died May 25, 2008, age 99. He was the OLDEST BILLIONAIRE in 2008 William Barnes, from Seattle USA who died in the plane crash On October 31,
1999,(an Egyptian Boeing 767 Flight 990) with other passengers on board as you can confirm it yourself via the website below.


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1999/11/01/iran/main49778.shtml
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1999/11/01/iran/main49778.shtml
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1999/11/01/iran/main49778.shtml

Since I got information about his death, I have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because it cannot be released to any other
person except the next of kin or a relation to the deceased as indicated in the banking guidelines and laws but unfortunately I learnt that all his supposed
next of kin and relation died alongside with him in the plane crash leaving nobody behind to claim his Money. The deposit Bank has written me so many times
demanding for the person of my client (Mr. William Barnes) not knowing that he is dead long ago.

It is therefore upon this discovery that I now decided to make this business proposal to you and release the money to you as a relation to the deceased (Mr.
William Barnes) for safety and subsequent disbursement between you and I since the next of kin and all the relations did not know about the Money and are also
dead and nobody is coming for the Money. I don't want this money to go into the bank treasury as unclaimed Fund. The banking law and guideline here stipulates
that if such money remained unclaimed after Twelve years, the money will be transferred into the bank treasury as unclaimed fund and now the Twelve Years is
very near.



The request of a foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and an Indigene here in London England
cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner Money. Your percentage will be declared to you as soon as you indicate your interest. After the transfer is
made to you then I will visit your country for disbursement according to the percentage agreed on. therefore to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to
you, you will have to send your full name, Telephone and address to me so that I can procure all the necessary documents in your name before you can apply to the
Bank as a relation of the deceased by sending email to the Bank and also telling them that you want the immediate transfer of the total Fund into your Bank
Account . I will forward all the necessary documents that are needed to you as soon as I hear from you. The amount deposited is US$3.500.000 (Three Million
Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars.)


Note clearly that you are not a relation to the deceased but I want you to stand in as his relation so that both of us will share the money upon completion of the transfer, I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any atom of fear as all required arrangements have been made for the movement of the money. You should contact me immediately as soon as you receive this letter.

Trusting to hear from you immediately.
Reply me here: stevenlawfirm@live.com

Yours Faithfully,

Steven Edward
Senior Advocate.

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