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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: "COLLINS JOSEPH" (may be fake)
Reply-To: < joecolinsesq1@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2012 06:15:46 +0400
Subject: PRIVATE DEAL

FROM THE DESK OF COLLINS JOSEPH

PRIVATE EMAIL: joecolinsesq1@gmail.com

URGENT INHERITANCE CLAIM

GOOD DAY,

I KNOW THIS PROPOSAL WILL COME TO YOU AS A SURPRISE ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU DO NOT KNOW ME,CONSIDERING THE HUGE SUM OF MONEY INVOLVED WHICH COULD MAKE ANYONE APPREHENSIVE. LET ME START BY INTRODUCING MYSELF TO YOU.

I AM COLLINS JOSEPH, A BARRISTER IN THE UK WHERE I AM PRESENTLY LIVING AND WORKING.I SAW YOUR CONTACT DURING MY PRIVATE SEARCH AT THE INFORMATION CENTRE HERE IN MY COUNTRYS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND I WANT TO BELIEVE THAT YOU WILL BE COMMITTED AND CAPABLE OF ASSISTING ME IN THIS BUSINESS VENTURE.

FIRST,LET ME EXPLAIN THE SOURCE OF THIS FUNDS AND WHAT YOU ARE EXPECTED TO DO TO ASSIST ME. MY LATE CLIENT MR MOHAMED KAMAL YASSER WAS AN OIL MERCHANT/CONTRACTOR UNTIL HIS DEATH SOME YEARS AGO IN A PLANE CRASH TOGETHER WITH HIS IMMEDIATE FAMILY.

THE DECEASED, MOHAMED KAMAL YASSER BANKED WITH THE BARCLAYS BANK HERE IN LONDON AND HAD A CLOSING BALANCE AS AT HIS TIME OF DEATH IN THE YEAR 2007 WORTH $45M (FOURTY FIVE MILLION USD).

THE LAW FIRM I WORK FOR NOW EXPECTS SOMEONE TO COME FORWARD AS HIS NEXT-OF-KIN TO CLAIM AS THE BENEFICIARY OF THE FUNDS.EFFORTS HAVE BEEN MADE BY MY LAW FIRM AND THE BARCLAYS BANK TO GET IN TOUCH WITH LATE MR MOHAMED KAMAL YASSER'S FAMILY OR RELATIVES BUT TO NO SUCCESS.

BASED ON THE PERCEIVED POSSIBILITY OF NOT BEING ABLE TO LOCATE MOHAMED KAMAL'S NEXT-OF-KIN, THE MANAGEMENT OF THE BANK UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF MY LAW FIRM AND THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ARE MAKING ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE FUNDS TO BE DECLARED UNCLAIMED AND CHANNELED TO THE CENTRAL BANK IE: BANK OF ENGLAND.

IT IS BASED ON THIS THAT I HAVE CONTACTED YOU TO STAND AS THE NEXT-OF-KIN OF LATE MOHAMED KAMAL YASSER SO THAT THE FUNDS WILL BE RELEASED AND PAID INTO YOUR ACCOUNT AS THE BENEFICIARY AND THE NEXT-OF-KIN TO THE DECEASED.

I ASSURE YOU THAT ALL DOCUMENTS AND PROOF TO ENABLE YOU GET THE FUNDS HAVE BEEN CAREFULLY WORKED OUT AS I HAVE SECURED THE SUPPORT OF OFFICERS FROM THE DIFFERENT OFFICES CONCERNED FOR THE SMOOTH TRANSFER OF THE FUNDS TO YOUR NOMINATED ACCOUNT.

IT HAS BEEN AGREED THAT YOU BEING THE OWNER OF THE ACCOUNT WILL BE COMPENSATED WITH 30% OF THE REMITTED FUNDS, WHILE WE KEEP 65% AND ANOTHER 5% WILL BE SET ASIDE TO OFFSET ANY EXPENSES WE MIGHT INCUR BOTH LOCALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY.

I WANT TO ALSO STATE HERE THAT YOU WILL NOT NECESSARILY HAVE TO GIVE ME YOUR PRESENT BANK DETAILS IF YOU DONT FEEL TOO COMFORTABLE WITH THAT BECAUSE YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND OPEN A TOTALLY NEW ACCOUNT JUST FOR THIS PURPOSE. ALSO YOU DONT HAVE TO SHARE THE SAME LAST NAME AND ETHNICITY WITH MR YASSER FOR YOU TO BE HIS BENEFICIARY OR NEXT OF KIN.

IF THIS PROPOSAL SATISFIES YOU, PLEASE REACH ME THROUGH MY DIRECT AND SECURE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR MORE INFORMATION AND ALSO SEND ME YOUR CONTACT TELEPHONE AND FAX NUMBER INCLUDING YOUR CELL PHONE NUMBER FOR QUICK AND EASY COMMUNICATION.

I AWAIT YOUR URGENT RESPONSE, ALL THE BEST AND GOD BLESS YOU. PLEASE EMAIL ME ON THIS MY PRIVATE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR SECURITY REASONS joecolinsesq1@gmail.com


YOURS FAITHFULLY,

COLLINS JOSEPH.

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