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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: Mike Abass <mikeabass14@gmail.com>
Reply-To: mikeabass11@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2015 18:03:05 +0100
Subject: Re: Please Read Carefully

Hello ,

I am Mr.Mike Abass, Head,Human Resources with the Bank of
Africa,Ghana.The issue I am presenting to you is a case of one of our
late customer, who died in a plane crash leaving an unclaimed amount
of money with my bank.

In the year 2003,the late customer deposited in a fixed deposit
account here in our Bank totaling USD$5.8 million Dollars
($5,800,000.00) which was due to be collected in 2008 with accrued
dividends. On our yearly appraisal of our customers at the turn of
every year, we discovered that this fixed deposit remained overdue for
retrieval. I had put up series of mails and bank notifications to him
which were sent back uncollected. I later discovered that he passed on
along with his wife and all of his family in a tragic air crash on the
3 of January 2004.

Since his death in the year 2004, I have monitored his account
expecting any of his extended relatives to come forward to claim his
money but all attempts to trace his relatives over the years has been
fruitless since he did not declare any of his relative's information
in his banking records with us. Added to this, professional ethics
obligates us to act with extreme confidentiality when dealing with
clients accounts of this type. According to the banking law, the money
will be bequeathed to the government if it remains unclaimed after 10
years.

However, I don't belong to that school of thought who proposes that
the fortunes of unlucky people be given to the government and I am
fully convinced that no one would turn up to execute the letter of
Administration to claim his funds, hence I decided to contact you to
come in as the next of kin to my late customer so that the funds can
then be transferred to your nominated bank account in your country
within 7 working days after we have filed in your claims transfer
application to the bank.

Considering my lack of success in my bid to locate his relatives for
many years now have contacted you to assist me in securing the money
and property left behind by my client before they are declared as
unclaimed and unserviceable by my bank where they have been lodged for
safekeeping. I solicit your consent to enable me produce you as the
Next of Kin to my deceased client and the funds will then be
transferred to you as the beneficiary and shared between us in equal
half’s 50/50.

Again, I feel that you may be apprehensive and consider this amount
too big for you to defend. It does not matter, as there are documents
to back it up. This transaction is risk free and as his former account
officer with the bank, you can be rest assured that all documents to
enable you get this fund as the next of kin will be carefully worked
out. Do not be bothered that you are not directly related to our late
customer as I am in position to affix your name as the next of kin.

I need not emphasize the confidentiality of this issue and I therefore
appeal to you not discuss this request with anybody, even if you
decline to take full advantage of this great and urgent opportunity in
my bank.

I look forward to your quick reply

Sincerely,
Mr.Mike Abass

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