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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: "W.I" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <wrightmorganlewis@skymail.mn>
Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:07:43 +0100
Subject: THIS IS CONFIDENTIAL...PLEASE QUICKLY

>From The Desk of Barrister Iain Wright
Associate Morgan Lewis
Email:wrightmorganlewis@skymail.mn
Tel:.+447011146991
 
 
I am Barrister Iain Wright legal Associate with the Morgan Lewis Law Firm United Kingdom.I am contacting you for a particular piece of business that requires utmost trust and confidentiality from you.One of my very trusted client Mrs Grace Anderson has intimated me about her intentions to give her wealth to charity abroad.Mrs Grace is presently hospitalized with cancer and doctors are not confident she will make it in the next few weeks.Mrs Grace is without a child and the husband died a few years ago.The only surviving relatives happen to be her late husband's brothers.Mrs Grace confided in me that she does not want her relatives to inherit her wealth in case she dies.She does not deem them morally stable to handle the funds or execute her charity intentions.As a matter of fact,they have records of drugs,womanizing and robbery.She believes they will squander the funds if they inherit it.
 
The reason why i have contacted you is because Mrs Grace authorized me to contact you and get you involved with her charity intentions.She wants you to come in as her next of kin and inherit the funds so that you can help distribute it to charity in your community.She has instructed me to WILL 25% of her wealth to you if you will be willing to honor this proposal and help invest the funds on a long-term investments that will yield proceeds.The proceeds will be properly channeled to charity,churches,destitute homes etc.The funds are mature treasury bills that her late husband purchased with the NATIONAL WESTMINSTER BANK LONDON over a six years period.Now the bills are mature and the bank's management has informed Mrs Grace Anderson about it.The bill is valued $8.9Million.
I will be coming to your country immediately the funds are transferred into your account so that we can sit down and fashion out the best modalities to invest the funds.I hope you understand.
 
I have being in contact with the management of the bank over this issue and they are willing to work with me to transfer the funds into your account once i secure the necessary legal documents that will transfer ownership of the funds to you.As a matter of truth,i have the letter of authorization to secure all the legal documents that will transfer ownership of the funds to you.
 
In this regard,i would want you to furnish me with the following information to enable me
prepare the legal documents that will transfer the ownership rights to you.
 
Your full names
Contact Address
Phone number(Cell)
Copy of your Id.
 
Please i want you to treat this with utmost good faith and confidentiality.Mrs Grace does not want her relatives to know about this arrangement.She believes if they know,they could find a way to kill her and inherit the funds.I know you may have doubts about this but,this is true.My phone number is stated above.You can call me if you need further clarification on this.Please reply through my personal email:wrightmorganlewis@skymail.mn
 
 
Thank You.
Barrister Wright

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