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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: "BARR. STEVE RICHARDSON" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <barr_steverichardson1978@yahoo.co.jp>
Date: Wed, 29 May 2013 05:28:52 -0700
Subject: URGENT AND CONFIDENTIALmm

STEVE RICHARDSON & ASSOCIATES
Advocates – At –Law, Acting Solicitors, Notary Public, General Legal
Practitioner, Conveyances, Commercial Law, Admiralty, Trust, Civil Litigation,
Personal Injuries, Wills, Property Transaction
First Floor, West Wing, Teachers' Hall Annex, 4 Barnes Close, Education Loop Accra,Ghana


Date: 2013-05-29.


SUBJECT: URGENT AND CONFIDENTIAL

Dear Sir/Madam,

My name is Barrister Steve Richardson, A solicitor and an Advocate of the supreme court of Ghana;
I worked as a personal Attorney to late Mr. Zulfiqar Ahmed Malik, an expatriate, who was a consultant
with GOLD ASSOCIATION OF GHana and a dealer on Gold.

He died on April 21st, 2009. Since then I have made several inquiries as to locate any of his extended
relatives, but all proved abortive. After several unsuccessful attempts, hence I decided to contact you.
I am contacting you to assist in retrieving the money valued at (US$25.5M) that was left behind by my client
(Zulfiqar Ahmed Malik) with the UTC BANK Accra Ghana before it declared unserviceable account and be
confiscated by the bank.

Consequently, the bank issued a notice to provide any member of late Zulfiqar Ahmed Malik family or
relatives within 10 days or the account will be closed. I hereby seek your consent to act as relative to
late Zulfiqar Ahmed Malik and claim the money US$25.5M from the bank. I will provide the necessary
information’s to be used in convincing the bank that you relate to late Zulfiqar Ahmed Malik. Whoever I
present to the bank will claim the money, since I am his personal Counsel before he died; the bank knows
me, because I represent him in all his banking dealings with the bank.


When you claim the money, we share it 50% / 50%. All I require is your honest co-operation to enable us
succeed without any hitch. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will
protect us from any breach of the law. I wait for your urgent reply.

You can call me with the below telephone number or send a fax confirming the receipt of this letter. Your strong assurance and
confidentiality is highly needed.

Best regards,

BARR. STEVE RICHARDSON
(ATTORNEY)
Tel: +233 230 236 972.

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