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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: "pt.walter@gtbank.com" <pt.walter@gtbank.com>
Reply-To: ptt.walter1@gmail.com
Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2013 02:00:31 +0000
Subject: Compliments of the day



Compliments of the day.

I am Peter Walter, Principal Assurance manager Guaranty Trust Bank
Plc in
Nigeria. I am getting in touch with you regarding the estate of a
deceased
client with similar last name and an investment placed under our
banks
management 9 years ago.I would respectfully request that you keep the
contents
of this mail confidential and respect the integrity of the
information you come
by as a result of this mail. I contact you independently and no one
is informed
of this communication. In 2000, a client of ours who is the
subject matter came to our bank to engage in business discussions
with our
private banking division.He informed us that he had a financial
portfolio of
$27.5 Million United States dollars, which he wished to; have us
invest on his
behalf. Based on my advice,we spun the money around various
opportunities and
made attractive margins in our first year of operation, the accrued
profit and
interest stood at this point at over 8 million United States Dollars.
In mid
2002, he instructed that the principal sum of $27.5 Million United
States
dollars be liquidated because he needed to make an urgent investment
requiring
cash payments in Canada. We got in touch with a specialist bank
Barclays
offshore bank Canada who agreed this money for a fee and make cash
available to
the client in question. However Barclays offshore bank got in touch
with us last
year that this money has not been claimed.

On further inquiries we found out that our client was involved in an
accident in
Federal Capital, which means he died intestate. He has no next of kin
and the
reason I am writing you is because you are namesakes and that
provides the
perfect avenue for us to transact this business successfully. What I
propose is
that since I have exclusive access to his file, you will be made the
beneficiary
of these funds. My bank will contact you informing you that money has
been
willed to you. On verification, which will be the details I make
available to my
bank, my bank will instruct Guaranty Trust Bank Plc to make payments
to you. You
do not have to have known him. I know this might be a bit heavy for
you but
please trust me on this. For all your troubles I propose that we
split the money
in half. In the banking circle this happens every time. The other
option is that
the money will revert back to the Central Bank of Nigeria. Nobody is
getting
hurt; this is a life time opportunity for us. I hold the KEY to these
funds, and
as a Nigerian National we see so much cash and funds being
re-assigned daily. I
would want us to keep communication for now strictly via my email for
now.

Please, again, note I am a family man; I have wife and children. I
send you this
mail not without a measure of fear as to the consequences, but I know
within me
that nothing ventured is nothing gained and that success and riches
never come
easy or on a platter of gold. This is the one truth I have learned
from my
private banking clients. Do not betray my confidence. If we can be of
one
accord, we should act swiftly on this.

I await your response.

Peter Walter


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