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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: "Barr James Uche" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <barrjamesuche2009@outlook.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Feb 2016 06:56:15 -0800
Subject: Dear Sir/Madam,

Barrister James Uche
Suite 12, 5th Floor
Bar Beach Towers,
V/Island,Lagos
Nigeria
 
 
 
 
Dear Sir/Madam,
 
 
 
 
Compliments of the day and how are you doing today?
 
 
 
 
My Name is Barrister James Uche of the above address and personal Attorney to one late Mr. Peter Craig a national of your country. He died on his way to a seminar in an auto crash on the 10th day of October 2011. My late client was the Chief Executive Officer of African Development Oil Company for 25 years and he was retired on the 12th day of September 2011.
 
 
 
He was re-contracted as a petroleum consultant to the company before this unfortunate incident occurred on the above date just after a month. He left all his credentials with my chambers for the drafting of his new contract agreement that will bind his new contract with African Development Oil Company.
 
 
 
Before his death my client made a numbered time (fixed) deposit for twelve calendar months valued at US$7.5M with the Access Bank of Nigeria Plc with open beneficiary and no one has ever come forward to claim this fund since his sudden death and according to Nigerian banking law the money will revert to the ownership of the Nigerian government if the account owner is certified dead and nobody comes forward to claim it after five years.
 
 
So far the bank has written my chambers a routine notification to provide the next of kin of the late Peter Craig or have the account confiscated within the next twenty one official working days. This situation is presently giving me a serious concern as to what I should do to safeguard this ($7.5m) from this bank rules.
 
 
 
I want to present you as the next of kin of the deceased since I don't want the government to confiscate this fund. We will share the USD$7.5million dollars on 50%/50% basis as soon as we are through with the fund claim. Please I want to urge you to view this mail with every sense of responsibility of purpose and treat your response with dispatch.
 
 
 
Kindly reply on receipt of this mail only on the basis of your acceptance to assist me in this transaction. You should include your direct contact phone numbers where I can open communications with you.
 
 
 
Thanks for your anticipated response.
 
 
 
Yours Sincerely,
Barrister James Uche.

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