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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: "Mr. Andrew Yakubu." (may be fake)
Reply-To: <andrewyyakubunnpc@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2014 10:21:43 -0700
Subject: From Mr. Andrew Yakubu,

>From Mr. Andrew Yakubu,
Plot 27,  House 3, Magodo Estate,
Victoria Island, Lagos Nigeria.
 
 
Dear Sir/Madam,
 
With the compliments of this day, I am writing to introduce myself to you, and share an information with you which I believe should be mutually beneficial. My names are Mr. Andrew Yakubu, a senior accounts officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. I am also a member of the management Board of the NNPC.
 
The information I want to share with you is this; our government has through the finance ministry authorized the last payment of US$98.3 (Ninety Eight Million, Three Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) for contract No. FGN/NNPC/462/PED72XX/008. However, unknown to the government, this last part of the money is the inflated/excess amount of the contract value which we manipulated for our own advantage. My agreement with the contracting firm was to have this excess amount as my own share of the contract fund. I am now writing to solicit for your partnership to facilitate the transfer of this fund to a safe bank accounts away from here for a mutual benefit. Please note that the nature of your business does not matter for your participation. What is very important is your honesty.
 
It would interest you to know that the original contracting firm has since been paid their due contract amount and leaving the excess value as yet unclaimed debt in the NNPC contract paying Bank according to our agreement with them. Your firm shall be presented by a normal process as the sub-contractor to the original contractor, and demand that this excess amount be paid to you. You will have 25% of the total fund when transferred.
 
Let me state here that this message is strictly for you alone. If you have read and understood me clearly, then I would like you to forward to me the following information for the transfer of this money;1. Your company name and address if any 2. Your personal telephone number. I am assuring that all necessary machinery have already been put in place with the officials of the Federal Ministry of Finance for a successful deal.
 
I have to state that because of the confidential nature of this business, all correspondences shall be by email.
 
Your earliest response is awaited.
 
Regards,
Mr. Andrew Yakubu.

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