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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: "Owen Clark" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <solicitoratlawfirm@yahoo.co.jp>
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2015 06:53:38 +0100
Subject: URGENT: R.S.V.P (RESPONDEZ SIL VOUS PLAIT).

Greetings to you,

With warm heart I offer my friendship, and greetings, and I hope this message meets you in good time.However strange or surprising this contact might seem to you as we have not met personally or had any dealings in the past, I humbly ask that you take due consideration of its importance and the immense benefit it will be to you. After careful consideration,I resolved to contact your assistance in this manner.I duly apologize for your most needed infringing on your privacy.

I am Owen Clark, a solicitor at law, I am the personal attorney/sole executor to a deceased client of my chambers who shares a similar surname with you and a nationality of your Country, his wife and their three children were involved in a car accident and all occupants of the vehicle unfortunately lost their lives.

I do sincerely sympathize the death of my client but think it is unprofitable for his funds to be submitted to the government of this country or some financial institution. My aim was to retrieve these funds and let it be claimed by the deceased family Lineage, etc.

Since then I have made several inquiries to your Embassy to locate any of my client's extended family and relatives, this has also proved unsuccessful. After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to trace his relatives over the internet, to locate any member of his but of no available. On this note I decided to search for a credible person and finding that you bear a similar last name, I was urged to contact you, that I may, with your consent, present you to the "Trustee" as my late client's family member so as to enable you put up a claim to the Finance House in that capacity as a next of kin of my client.

This business proposal is confidential and I request that it be treated as such. It is specifically directed to you and I must solicit your Confidentiality on it. I assure you that I am contacting you in good faith and this proposal will be of mutual benefit to us but do not take undue advantage of the trust I have bestowed in you.

I find this possible for the fuller reasons that you are of the same nationality and you bear a similar last name with my late client making it a lot easier for you to put up a claim in that capacity. I have contacted you to assist me in repatriating the money left behind by my late client before they got confiscated or declared unserviceable by the Finance House where these huge deposits were lodged.

Particularly, the Finance House where the deceased had a consignment valued about Sixty Million United States Dollars only ($60,000.000.00) they have issued me a notice to provide the next-of- kin or have the consignment confiscated as an abandoned funds within the next 21 official working days.

I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin to the deceased so that the proceeds of this Consignment/funds valued about Sixty Million United States Dollars only ($60,000.000.00) can be paid to you and then you and I can share the money, 50% to me and 50% for you. I will work out all the necessary legal documents that can be used to back up this claim, all I require is your honest co-operation to enable us see this transaction through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law.

If this proposal is acceptable by you, kindly fill the below information in your reply immediately.

Full name: ________________
Resident address: ____________
Mobile phone number: ________
Telephone number: __________
Private email: ______________
Occupation: ____________________
Marital status:_______________
Age: _______________________

Thanks for your understanding and anticipated co-operation.

Yours sincerely,

Owen Clark
(Solicitor at Law)

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