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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: "LOS ANGELES FEDERAL CREDIT UNION (LAFCU)" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <fdcs.info@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 19 May 2012 05:08:34 -0700
Subject: Ref: LAFCU/WB/UN/USA/2011/12

Los Angeles Federal Credit Union (LAFCU)
201 N. Los Angeles Street, Space #201
Los Angeles, CA 90053
Attention: Beneficiary
 
Ref: LAFCU/WB/UN/USA/2011/12
Re: Payment of a Contract/Inheritance Funds
We are trying to contact you to clarify and resolve the misunderstanding and problem at hand. We do not intend to send to you a scam or any sort of fraudulent email because You also need to know if you are being impersonated by the unknown, therefore, this email should not be regarded as unsolicited, as our intention is to your best interest and to protect our good image and reputation, and to maintain our leadership in professionalism.
Los Angeles Federal Credit Union (LAFCU) is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.1 trillion and operations. The firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers, small business and commercial banking, financial transaction processing, asset management, and private equity. Los Angeles Federal Credit Union serves millions of consumers in the United States and many of the world’s most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients.
 
Be informed that we the Los Angeles Federal Credit Union (LAFCU) have received instruction to release the approved sum of Ten Million Dollars (US$10, 000, 000.00) to you as your Contract/Inheritance fund. We have with us the entire documentation required for this payment in your favor. We shall be waiting to hear from you for the immediate payment.
 
We hope hearing from you soon because you are here by given the chance to receive your funds payment legitimately and ceremoniously after the completion of verification over your funds legitimacy.
The authorities have secretly investigated and discovered the legitimacy of your approved funds, and their endorsement for the free release of your funds to you have been issued. You are therefore, approved to receive your payment, which shall be released to you as soon as we receive your response to this email.
 
My bank is willing to your payment to complete your payment. Therefore, Should anything happen to your payment as the authorities might decide to cancel it if you delay for long as the case may be, understand that my bank will not be held liable. Therefore, this is the best chance you need to receive your payment.
 
After this resent approval of your contract/inheritance fund payment of $10Million to be released from my bank, Mr. Hancock from Washington DC contacted my bank requesting for the release of your funds in his name as your next-of-kin/beneficiary hence you are proclaimed dead. And the below are his bank account details he provided, urging my bank to transfer your fund into immediately before it is too late:
 
 
His Bank Account Details:
Bank name: Bank of America
Account No.: 9085686846
Routing No.: 54664564
 
 
Please, if you are not dead as this man falsely said, kindly provide in the below order, the required from you to enable us update your payment document so that the payment to you would take place without delay:
 
Full names:
House address:
Occupation:
Phone/fax:
Age/sex:
 
Your file shall be updated and your payment will be completed as soon as you confirm the above required details.
We wait hearing from you soonest.
yours faithfully,
Chuck Rubin
 
Board Chairperson,
Los Angeles Federal Credit Union (LAFCU)
Los Angeles, CA. USA.

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