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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: "Eustace Yafia" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <yafia_e@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2014 08:19:25 -0700
Subject: The Regional Manager

From:Mr.Eustace Yafia
The Regional Manager,
Standard Chartered Bank of Ghana,
Tamale Branch
 
Good Day
 
I don't know if you received my first email that is why is writing again,As I told you I am the regional manager of Standard Chartered Bank of Ghana Tamale Branch. I am careful in giving you out this information for security reasons,
 
I have packaged a financial transaction that will benefit you and I, as the regional manager of my branch it is my duty to send in a financial report to my head office in the capital city Accra at the end of each business year. On the course of the last year 2013 business report, I discovered that my branch in which I am the manager made Five million five hundred and twenty thousand united state dollars ($5,520,000.00USD). I have placed this funds on what we call escrow call account, this account is strictly for onward transfer with no beneficiary.
 
As an Manager of this bank I cannot be directly connected to this money in any way, so my aim of contacting you is to assist me receive this money in your bank account and get 40% of the total funds as commission, while 60 percent comes back to me. I placed you on 40% because I believe this business now belongs to the both of us, and your efforts and support is highly going to be involved as well. Up till date, no one has the knowledge of the $5,520,000.00USD you are about to receive in your bank account, and no one will ever know of it.
 
All you need to do is stand and claim as the original depositor and beneficiary of the fund in my branch so that my head office can order the transfer of the fund to your designated bank account. There are practically no risks involved, it will be a bank-to-bank transfer.
 
>From the day you applied, within 6 days the money should have been transferred and cleared in your account, if all things work out well, then I will get back my 60% through any means we find best to do so. Please note that all I need from you is your trust and sincerity as to seeing this through.
 
I do not want anyone to have any suspicious that I am part of this project.
 
Am expecting your soonest reply as to enable us start doing something about this immediately.
 
Regards
 
Mr.Eustace

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