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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: ERIC TIGANA <erictigana02@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 9 Sep 2014 20:57:50 +0100
Subject: URGENT

ear Friend,
Compliment of the Season to you and your love ones. I am sorry for
this interruption. I have no other way to reach you than these ways
please accept my apology.
I am a manager in a security and finance firm here in Conakry Guinea.
In my department i discovered an abandoned sum $27.000.000 and 170
kilos of gold belonging to one of our Asian foreign customer and was
his account
Mr. Lam Kok www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-25476662
I sent a routine notification to his forwarding address but got no
reply. After a month, we sent a reminder but unfortunately we learnt
that he died along with his Son in an air crash which happened in
France and he is supposed next of kin died along side with him.
We cannot release this fund unless somebody applies for it as next of
kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our guidelines and
laws but if nobody applies as next of kin, government will pocket the
money.
So i will need to present you as the next of kin so that this money
can be transfer to you as his next of kin for us to share.
If you are interested, please get back to me for further details.
Thanks,
Mr Eric Tigana

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