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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: peter ekra <peterekra2016@gmail.com>
Reply-To: peterekra2016@yahoo.fr
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 2015 22:17:50 +0000
Subject: Hello

Hello

My name is Mr Peter Ekra the principal treasury officer with one of
the prime banks in Cote d’Ivoire. I have decided to contact you
through this medium based on a business proposal, which will be of
mutual benefit to both of us. I know this might sound like scam to you
because of a lot of activities going on in the internet today.But I
assure you that this is real.

I am the personal accounts manager to one of our late client a
national of your country, who used to work with an oil servicing
company here in Cote d’Ivoire, the late client made a numbered time
(fixed) deposited for twelve calendar months, valued at €18,200,000.00
(Eighteen Million Two Hundred Thousand European Euros) in my branch.
Upon maturity, we sent a routine notification to his forwarding
address but got no reply.

After a month, we sent a reminder and finally we discovered from his
contract employers, PETRO-CI Corporation that my client died from an
automobile accident. On further investigation, I found out that he did
not leave a will and all attempts to trace his next of kin were
fruitless. I therefore made further investigation and discovered that
the deceased person did not declare any next of kin in all his
official documents,including his bank deposit paperwork.

This sum of (€18,200,000.00) is still sitting in the bank and the
interest is rolled over with the principal sum at the end of each
year. No one will come forward to claim it. According to the law of
Cote d’Ivoire, at the expiration of 5{five}years, the money will l
revert to the ownership of the Cote d’Ivoire government if nobody
claims the funds.Consequently, my proposal is that I will like you as
a foreigner to stand in as the next of kin to deceased person for the
fact that you have same last name with him so that this money will not
be reverted by the government. If this request matches with your
inward intention for success and greatness, then you are urged to make
a quick response indicating your interest and readiness to participate
and work with me to make this successful please reply fast to this
email address: peterekra2016@yahoo.fr

Please observe utmost confidentiality, and be rest assured that this
transaction would be most profitable for both of us because I shall
require your assistance to invest my share in your country. In your
return mail, please do forward your information as listed below if you
are willing to complete this deal with me, to enable me put the total
fund in your name

for claim as the next of kin to the deceased person:

Your full name:
Your contact address:
Occupation;
Your phone number:
Date of Birth:

I wait for your urgent reply.

Best Regards,

Peter Ekra

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