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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: Mrs Anabel <anaab7@anaab.onmicrosoft.com>
Reply-To: <anabel.carlos@aol.com>
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 16:28:47 +0100
Subject: URGENT ATTENTION.

Hello,
My name is Mrs Anabel carlos, I am the Administrative manager at a vault of a financial & security Institute here in Barcelona.
I am contacting you based on a financial opportunity I discovered here in our Bank. It's about an abandoned sum of 19.3m Us dollars (Nineteen million three hundred thousand dollars) in our safety deposit vault, that belongs to one of our foreign customers, a citizen of your country that share the same surname with you, who died along with his entire family on the 11th march 2009 in a ghastly car accident in Porto Portugal.

The banking policy can only allow the release of such funds to a benefactor through an application as next of kin to the deceased.
After his death, the bank has been expecting a possible beneficiary, but no luck, this institute has exploited all its ethical
possibilities in other to contact his possible relation or inheritor, but no success. Since no one has come up since six years,
I have made my own research with the help of private investigator, it is my knowledge that this man has been living in Barcelona
for the past 22 years and has never returned back home. I also learn t that his wife and 13 year old daughter died with him during
this accident. I am almost 110% sure that no one is aware of the existence of these funds.

However, because of the international financial crises, a lot of reform has been made within the Spanish financial system, this includes the new law on succession/claims which indicates a duration in which such inheritance could be tolerated. The Bank of
Spain has mandated our institute to release the funds to the inheritor, Failure to respond to this ultimatum would legally allow
the Bank of Spain confiscate these funds as unclaimed estate (Which of course would go straight to the Government's pocket). It
is therefore upon this entire discovery that I have decided to contact you. I want you to know that I am a senior member of this
office. As an insider, I am equipped with all classified secret information regarding the release of these funds. I would be
dedicated to making sure that I feed you with all possible documentation and information required for the approval and release
of these funds.

Upon your acceptance to cooperate, I agree that 40% of this money will be for you, 50% for me and 10% goes to any acceptable
charity organization in Spain or your country. Please note that I have ONLY discussed this with my husband. For time difference
and confidential reasons, I strongly advice that you communicate with me via my husband's contact details above, this should be done firstly fax or phone. Immediately you get in touch with me, I would be able to inform you on how this could be concluded.
In conclusion, it's my concern to demand your ultimate honesty, co-operation and confidentiality to enable us conclude this
transaction. Please keep this very confidential and do not discuss it with anybody. I GUARANTEE that this process would be executed under a legitimate arrangement that would legally protect you and me from any breach of law.

Please kindly Reply to My Email: anabel.carlos@aol.com

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