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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: "Mr. Cliff Hill" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <cliffhill2001@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2013 16:32:50 -0700
Subject: Urgent & Confidential

Estate Managerial Office
African Development Bank
Tel: +27-734341145
Email: cliffhill2001@gmail.com

ATTN: Dear Partner

Permit my contacting you unsolicited, I wish to inform you that this mail is not a hoax mail. I am Mr. Cliff Hill, a staff member of African Development Bank of South Africa. I have an urgent and very confidential business proposal for you, An American Gold consultant with the South African Solid Gold Corporation Mr. W Ali Bryant made a numbered time fixed deposit for twelve calendar months. This was valued at Fourteen Million Five Hundred Thousand U.S. dollars in our branch. Upon maturity, I sent a routine notification to his forwarding address but got no reply. After a month, we sent a reminder and finally we discovered from his employers, that Bryant had died in a plane crash in Alaska on an Alaska Airlines flight number 261. On further investigation, I found out that in his will he left a message that the inheritor of his estate should not forget about charity, however Mr. Ali did not leave a name in this will. I then tried to contact family/friend/colleagues and all attempts to trace his next of kin

I therefore made further investigation and discovered that Mr. W. Ali did not declare any next of kin or relations in all his official documents, including his bank deposit paperwork in my Bank. The sum of US$14,500,000.00 is still sitting in our Bank and the interest is being rolled over with the principal sum at the end of each year. No one will ever come forward to claim it. According to Laws of Republic of South Africa, at the expiration of (7) seven years, the money will revert to the ownership of the South African Government if nobody applies to claim the fund. Consequently, my proposal is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand in as the next of kin to Mr. Ali. Bryant so that the fruits of this old man's labor will not get into the hands of some corrupt government officials. This is simple, I would like you to provide immediately your full names and address so that the attorney will prepare the necessary documents and affidavits that will put you in place as the next of kin.

A bank account in any part of the world that you will provide will then facilitate the transfer of this money to you as the beneficiary/next of kin. The money will be paid into your account for us to share in the ratio of 60% for me and 40% for you. There is no risk involved at all as all the paperwork for this transaction will be done by the attorney and my position as a prominent official of A.D. BANK guarantees the successful execution of this transaction. If you are interested, please reply immediately via my contact numbers above.

Upon your response, I shall then provide you with more details and relevant documents that will help you understand the transaction. Please send me your confidential telephone numbers for easy communication. Please observe utmost confidentiality, be rest assured that this transaction would be most profitable for both of us because I shall require your assistance to invest my share in your country. Awaiting your urgent reply via my confidential contact details, please you should call me on my telephone first to acknowledge this letter.

PLEASE, TREAT THIS PROPOSAL AS A TOP SECRET.

Best Regards,

Mr. Cliff Hill

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