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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: "Kirk Murdoch" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mkirk44@ymail.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 21:42:22 -0300
Subject: [***FOR YOUR EYES ONLY PLEASE***]

Dear Friend,
I wish to approach you with a request that would be of immense benefit
to both of us.
I am an attorney based in Scotland United Kingdom. I want you and I to
make some fortune out of a situation that I am obviously left with no
other better option.
The issue that I am presenting to you, is a case of my client that
willed a fortune to his only daughter. It is unfortunate that he and
his daughter died on the London Bomb attacks on 7 July 2005. The wife
died of heart attack on receiving the sad news a week after. I am now
faced with a problem of getting a trusted person who I will make the
beneficiary that I would pass the fortune to. And according to the law
such fortune is supposed to be bequeathed to the government if there
is not any a relative or next-of-kin of the decease that would surface
for claim of the fortune.
Based on therafore-mentioned, I want you to join me in facilitating
the claim of this money for our own personal use.I can assure you that
we will be able to secure these funds from his account if we work
secretly with any foreigner from the same country who can stand as the
late depositor business partner. I hereby seek for your participation.
We have all relevant information that would be needed to put you up as
the deceased's legal next of kin in order to get the bank transfer the
fund into your account for us instead of allowing it to be tagged as
an ''unclaimed account'' which would finally go into the coffers of
our government. You would be rewarded with some yet- to- be-
negotiated percentage of the fund for your involvement.
More details of this transaction would be unveiled when I confirm your
interest to participate. For your safety and ours during and after the
transaction, and to ensure the success of this transaction, we all
should keep this issue secret. Contact me quickly on direct e-mail
address this is for security reason mkirk44@ymail.com in your reply
kindly send the followings.
FULL NAME :
ADDRESS :
PHONE NUMBER :
STATUS :
COMPANY NAME :
AGE :
Yours Truly,
Kirk Murdoch

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