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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: "Legal Attache Office" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <legalattachoffice@qq.com>
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 05:48:41 +0200
Subject: PLEASE BE INFORMED

Office of the Legal Attache
US Consulate General
2, Walter Carrington Crescent
Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria
Contact: Legal Attache: (+234)-8178605725


Dear Beneficiary,

I am Special Agent, Jennifer Dent, the F.B.I.'s Assistant Legal Attache in Lagos, Nigeria. As you must be aware, the Legal Attache Office supports the operational needs in Lagos, Nigeria with regional coverage of Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, So Tome and Principle and Togo. The cooperation activities performed by the Legal Attach are essential to the successful fulfillment of the international responsibilities of the FBI and United States interests. Liaising is carried out in accordance with executive order, statue, Attorney General Guidelines, and FBI policies.

I am writing you with regards to your stalled funds transfer you have been expecting from Nigeria. For your interest, I would advise you to accord this correspondence your full indulgence and attention, as you may likely have been receiving other emails of similar contents from the numerous fraud syndicate and impostors.

I was specially instructed by the U.S Attorney General to embark on a personal review of all long pending and stalled International Funds Transfer Files of all Banks Operating in Nigeria and the neighboring countries, including those at Offshore Foreign Correspondent Banks, with a view of redeeming genuine cases of Funds Transfers.

The U.S Attorney General’s Office has mandated my Office to ensure that all genuine claim and transfers are paid to their rightful owners of which you are among, after detail reviewed your information as one such beneficiaries and our duty is protect your interest as a law abiding citizen.

As the F.B.I.'s assistant legal attache in Lagos, Nigeria, I want to assure you that your transfer will now be processed through the simple, transparent and authoritative means where you will not be required to pay any unauthorized fees. Please discontinue any form of contact with all those you have been dealing with before now, no matter the nature of your relationship with any of these crooks, including your representative if any. My goal is to quickly reactivate and sort out your transfer without any distraction. So you are forbidden to preempt anyone of this contact, otherwise I will be compelled to out rightly cancel your transfer along others a bad debt.

Your Valued Amount expected if other than the mentioned amount: $3.5million USD.Your timely respond will be highly welcomed.

My Regards,
Jennifer Dent
Assistant Legal Attache


This email and any attachment is from the U.S. Office of the Legal Attache and may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient because it was sent to you in error, you are not authorized to reply, copy or disclose all or any part of it without the prior written consent of Office of the Legal Attache

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