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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: avans associates <ferdinandassociates404@gmail.com>
Reply-To: ferdinandassociates303@gmail.com
Date: Sat, 28 Jun 2014 00:48:20 +0700
Subject: Legal Notice

--
Attn:

Following the gazette by The Chancellor of the Exchequer to all
financial institutions with National Savings and Investments to
estimate the value of its

unclaimed assets in savings with no customer activity for the last ten
years with a view to harness around 1BN POUNDS lying dormant in the
nation’s bank and

building society accounts for re-investment in the UK, We have been
commissioned by the NCC to seek out legal heirs to unclaimed asset as
a means to ensure

that genuine claims are not reverted to the government treasury and to
maintain public confidence in the safety and security of the banking
system.

According to our records, your name has been listed as a beneficiary
of GBP15,000,000.00. Your Benefactor, Mr. Kenneth ,who died in
November 2004, in Kuala

Lumpur, Malaysia.

Financial assets are considered unclaimed when contact with an owner
or beneficiary/legatee is lost for an extended period or unaware of
the secret trust

held for him by the trustee. This often happens due to a name change
after marriage or divorce, an unreported change name and address or
expired postal

forwarding order, incomplete, illegible records and result of computer
and clerical errors. When owners or their heirs fail to claim an asset
over a

specified number of years known as the dormancy period, those left
holding the money: banks, stock brokers, utilities, employers, life
insurance companies,

probate offices and other - transfer custody to a special trust
account in a process known as es-cheat.

We will provide legal assistance and claims administration through the
Treasury Solicitor, Department of the Probate Registry for transfer of
ownership of

the Financial Asset to you as listed heir.

More Information will be provided on your acknowledgment of the
receipt of this Legal Notice.

Yours Faithfully,

Tim Woods (Esq).
25 Southampton Buildings
London, WC2A 1AL
United Kingdom

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