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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: "Frank Carbajal" <offer@lottery.com>
Reply-To: frank.carbajal@qq.com
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 05:45:37 -0400
Subject: Lucrative Offer !


To whom it may concern
=

I do realize this is not the most appropriate form of initiating a busines=
s proposal, but with much to gain and little too loose, it was hard not to =
proceed. This is why I would need you bear with me for not using my company=
's letter heading to contact you, as it's a proposed personal and confident=
ial project between the both of us.
=

My name is Frank Carbajal an accountant by profession working for the Zano=
x group an affiliate of the National lottery. We work with the national lot=
tery, and are responsible for preparation and approval of prize ledgers to =
our lottery winners.
=

Without taking too much of your time, I would like to tell you the reason =
for this mail. My Father was recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer and req=
uires chemotherapy for treatment. The enormous costs involved are mainly th=
e reasons behind my action, and would crave your indulgence.
=

In this link is the latest unclaimed lottery prizes of which my firm is re=
sponsible for dispersing should the claims deadline elapse. If unclaimed, t=
hese funds will be cleared and distributed to several sectors, and charitie=
s.
=

As you might be aware lottery rules and regulations forbid employees and t=
heir family members in participating in draws, which is why I am writing yo=
u regarding this issue. I seek the consent of a willing partner who I can p=
resent as a lucky winner to lay claim to one of the various unclaimed prize=
s pending with us.
=

My proposal is quite simple and easily verifiable. Every year millions of =
dollars remain unclaimed with us, and all I seek now is someone trustworthy=
who I can work with on this. All claims will be split fairly and equitably=
. All preparations and modalities for a smooth outcome are in place, what I=
seek now is your honest cooperation and to keep this as confidential as po=
ssible to enable a higher success rate.
=

If interested in working together with me, kindly indicate and I will prov=
ide you more information and detailed explanation on the project, outlining=
the steps required to lay claim to these prizes.
=

Regards,
=

Mr. Frank Carbajal

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