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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: "Bernard O.N. Otti NNPC" <ottion@yandex.com>
Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 14:01:13 +0100
Subject: GOOD DAY 19 09 2014

Attention Sir/Ma,

It is my great pleasure contacting you today, My name is Mr.
Bernard O.N. Otti , GED, F&A) Directorate Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation( NNPC) I am happy to write you today,
Could you please
allow me to place some funds into your Bank Account for
safekeeping/future investment? The funds in question is my
personal funds Twenty One Million Five Hundred Thousand
American Dollars ($21.5M),I have an urgency to move the
funds out from my present foreign bank account to your Bank
Account for security reasons' am a civil servant and (A TOP
GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL), it is unlawful in my country for any
civil servant to operate foreign bank account.

Once I obtain your confidence, I will appraise you with full
details and I am offering you 30% of the total funds for
your assistance, while 5% of the above said funds have been
set aside to defray any unforeseen expenses incurred on
actualizing the movement of the funds into your bank
account. Be informed that it might require that you travel
to the holding bank for the signing of the fund release
documents as the CLAIMANT/BENEFICIARY to this above
deposited funds, the documents to legally position you to do
so will be prepared and transmitted to you.

I request that you provide me with your telephone and fax
numbers to enable us discuss further on this transaction.
Hope hearing from you soon But i strictly advise that you
treat this matter as "HIGHLY
CONFIDENTIAL FOREVER" and if you are not comfortable with
this business information, I advise that you back-out
immediately.

Yours truly,
Mr. Bernard O.N. Otti
(GED,ETD NNPC)

Anti-fraud resources: