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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: "SKYE BANK PLC" <skyebank@wss-id.org>
Reply-To: skyebkoffice@ymail.com
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2014 12:35:36 -0300 (ART)
Subject: MICROSOFT EMAIL PROMOTION

CONGRATULATION!!!

The Management of Skye Bank Plc wishes to congratulate and inform you that
your email ID has won the sum of two hundred and fifty thousand USD
($250,000.00) As one of the consolation prizes In the just concluded
Africa/Asia/Middle-East zonal Microsoft email promotions,The selection
process was done through a Computerized system from a database of over
fifty million email addresses drawn from all the continents of the
globe.This promo is basically aimed at encouraging and promoting the use
of internet for education, health. medical and scientific research within
your community and across the globe. Hence you’re encouraged to
contribute a reasonable part of your prize money to the betterment of
humanity.

As the official Bank to Microsoft in these zonal promotions, you’re
directed to forward the following information’s for the immediate
activation/release of your prize money via (ATM CARD PAYMENT) Also a
Microsoft (promo winner’s certificate) will be issued to you

(1) YOUR FULL NAMES
(2) YOUR NATIONALITY
(3) YOUR AGE/SEX
(4) YOUR TELEPHONE/MOBILE #

Once more, Congratulations.

Yours faithfully,
Gbenga Ademulegun
Director ATM Swift Card/Foreign Operation Dept
Skye Bank Plc.

(Copyright © 2014 Skye Bank PLC.)

Anti-fraud resources: