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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: William Keith <williamkeith2014@gmail.com>
Reply-To: williamkeith60@yahoo.com
Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 07:33:07 +0000
Subject: I trust you with this transactiob based on your profile

Dear Friend,

I am William Keith, banker and account officer to late Well Steve
Gamballa ( who died in an air crash in South Africa alongside his wife
and only child, before his death he was the Chief Executive Officer of
an auto manufacturing company in SA.
My urgent need for a foreign partner made me to contact you for this
transaction. I got your contact from yahoo tourist search while I was
searching for a foreign partner. As this message might meet you in
utmost surprise. However, it is all to be sure of your capability and
reliability to champion this business opportunity when I prayed to
good Lord about you.

Before his death he left the sum of Twenty Two Million United States
Dollars (US$22M) with the ABSA Bank of South Africa where I currently
work, and all attempt to communicate with his extended family was to
no avail since there was no known "next of kin" in his documentation
with the bank and account he had with ABSA, no one has stepped forward
to lay claims on the entire funds that is presently in a suspense
account.

Therefore, I require your partnership to stand as his next of kin to
enable us prepare all legal paper works in your name to have the funds
moved out in your name, and if you agree do respond to enable me
furnish you with more details as to the way forward on how this can be
achieved immediately. Please indicate your willingness by sending
needed details (your full names, address and contact) to enable us
process the transaction.
Do respond to me only through: williamkeith60@yahoo.com

I await your response.

Yours faithfully,

Mr.William Keith
ABSA Bank, Johannesburg, South Africa.

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