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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: George Williams <georgwills@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2014 23:28:43 -0800
Subject: YOUR URGENT REPLY IS NEEDED

--
HELLO DEAR,

I got your contact during my search for a reliable, honest and a
trustworthy person to entrust this huge transfer project with . My name is
Mr George Williams. I am the manager of the Standard Chartered Bank, First
Light Branch, Accra Ghana . I am a Ghanaian, married with two kids. I am
writing to solicit for your assistance in the transfer of funds valued at
$9,620,000.00 (Nine million six hundred and twenty thousand United States
Dollars) only . This fund is the excess of what my branch in which I am the
Manager made as profit during the last annual audition. I have already
submitted an approved end of last year annual report to my head office in
Accra here and they will never know of this excess.

This fund has since placed in a suspense escrow account without a
beneficiary. As an officer of the bank, I cannot directly be connected to
this money due to how it was moved out of my bank, thus I am impelled to
request for your assistance to receive this fund into your bank account for
me. I intend to part 30% of this fund to you as compensation while 70%
shall be for me. All I need from you is to stand as the beneficiary of the
fund. Remember my bank do not know about this money and will not know about
it. All i need from you is to receive this fund and send for me for
percentage shearing . Please if you are interested in this business, kindly
send me your contact address and your phone number for speedy transfer of
this fund to you.


Yours Sincerely,
MR George Williams.

Anti-fraud resources: