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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "David.Elliot" (may be fake)
Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2016 15:20:13 +0200
Subject: GET BACK TO ME ON THIS INHERITANCE CLAIMS ASAP.

Dear Partner To Be.
I am David.Hotz.Elliot, Principal Officer of AKB Privatbank Zurich AG,Zurich,Switzerland. I am getting in touch with you regarding the fund of a deceased client and an investment placed under our Security & Finance Investment Management 7 years ago.I would respectfully request that you keep the contents of this mail confidential and respect the integrity of the information you may come by as a result of this mail. I contact you independently and no one is informed of this communication.
In 2006, the subject matter came to our bank to engage in a business discussions with our private banking division. He informed us that he had a financial portfolio of 18.35 Million Euros, which he want us to invest on his behalf.

Based on my advice, we spun the money around various opportunities and made attractive margins for our first 6 months of operation, the accrued profit and interest stood at this point of over 20 Million Euros. In mid 2009, he instructed that the principal sum (18.35M Euros) be liquidated because he needed to make an urgent investment requiring cash payments in Germany. We got in touch with a specialist Security & Finance Private bank in Spain who agreed to receive this money for a fee and make cash available to him.However the bank in Spain got in touch with us early this year that this money has not been claimed. On further inquiries we found out that he was involved in an accident in Australia, and the accident took his life. He had no next of kin attached to this fund in our documents and that is the reason why I am writing you to assist in the transfer of these funds and possibly invest it in a viable business in your country, on your acceptance to my proposal i will throw more l
ights on this transaction

What I propose is that since I have exclusive access to his file, you will be made the beneficiary of these funds. I will send you the bank contact details in Spain when i receive your acceptance mail and on verification i will perfect all necessary documents and details which I will make available to the bank and will instruct the bank in Spain to make payments to you. You do not have to know the deceased, I know this might be a bit heavy for you but please trust me on this because in the banking circle this happens often and for all your troubles i propose that we split the money in half.

The other option is that the money will revert back to the state. Nobody is getting hurt,this is a lifetime opportunity for us. I hold the KEY to these funds, and as a Swiss National working in the banking circle we see so much cash and funds being re-assigned daily. I would want us to keep communication for now strictly by email and fax.

Please again note I am a family man, I have a lovely wife and nice kids. I send you this mail without not a measure of fear as to the consequences, but I know within me that nothing ventured is nothing gained and that success and riches never come easy on a platter of gold. This is one truth I have learned from my private banking clients.

Do not betray my confidence. If we can be of one accord, we should act swiftly on this. Please get back to me on this my email address: davide.elliot@aol.com with this under listed details that will be sent to the bank in Spain to commence payment process.

Names:
Full Address:
Phone Numbers:
Country:
Gender:
Occupation:
International Passport Photo copy:

Await your response.
Mr.David.H.Elliot
(Foreign Remittance/Allocation Dept.)
AKB Privatbank Zurich AG.

Anti-fraud resources: