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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: Michael Cole <skyebkplc22@googlemail.com>
Reply-To: davjac360@gmail.com
Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 05:27:05 -0700
Subject: Private/Highly confidential Subject Matter

Standard Chartered Bank
1 Basinghall Ave,
London EC2V 5DD
United Kingdom

Private/Highly confidential Subject Matter:

Invitation to act as Next-of-Kin I write this August letter in
confidence, believing that it will reach you in high spirit and I
believe you will maintain the level of confidence and trust matters of
this nature requires.

Though, I know that this proposal may make you apprehensive and
worried, but I assure you that all will be well at the end. Before
proceeding, I wish to introduce myself. I am Michael J Cole, Deputy
General Manager, (credit Controls) with Standard Chartered Bank,
London. I got your contact from a reliable fellow.

The Proposal: An Iraqi Citizen, Mr Hasan Mudi Mohammed, a Business man
from Iran made a numbered fixed deposit for 18 calendar months, with a
value of Ten Million Five Hundred Thousand United State
Dollars($10,500,000.00) only in my branch.

Upon maturity several notices was sent to him but there was no word.
Again after the war another notification was sent and still no
response came from him. We later find out that Mr Hasan Mudi Mohammed
and his family had been killed during the war in bomb blast that hit
their home.

Valuable efforts have been made by standard Chartered Bank to get in
touch with any of late Mr Hasan Mudi Mohammed as beneficiary to his
Funds. After further investigation it was also discovered that Mr
Hasan Mudi Mohammed did not declare any next of kin in his official
papers including the paper work of his bank deposit. And he also
confided in me the last time he was at my office that no one except me
knew of his deposit in my bank. The Ten Million Five Hundred Thousand
United State Dollars ($10,500,000.00) is still lying in my bank and no
one has come and will ever come forward to claim it.

What bothers me most is that according to the laws at the expiration
of 8 years the funds will revert to the ownership of the Government if
nobody applies to claim the funds. In other to avert this negative
development, I now seek your permission to have you stand as
next-of-Kin into the Funds of Mr Hasan Mudi Mohammed, so that the fund
$10,500,000.00 will be released and paid into your account as
beneficiary? Next of kin. I will help to arrange all documents and
proves to enable us get this fund out. I have secured from the probate
registry an order of mandamus to locate any of the deceased
beneficiary and more so; I am assuring you that this transaction is
risk free. Once the fund is moved to your nominated account, you will
be entitling to 30%. Your share stays while the rest be for me and
some people I will settle here. You will also be entitle to
substantial part from my percentage, in trust for investment. As soon
as I receive your acceptance in principle, I will furnish you with the
necessary modalities for commencement. Finally, I am relying in my
confidence in you, having opened up to you, if however you are not
interested, please feel free to destroy this information as I will
continue to scout for willing partner(s).

Nevertheless, you can contact me via email for further discussion.

Best Regards,
Michael J Cole.

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