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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: "Craig Williams" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <craigwilliams@inbox.lv>
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2017 09:10:25 +0100
Subject: I have urgent and very confidential

> Attention: Sir

>

>  I’m Graig Williams an employee of ING BANKbranch here

> in Netherlands. I have urgent and very confidential

> businessproportion for you. I got your contact from the

> World Trade Centre Online Webdirectory here in Netherlands.

> In January 2011 a Consultant/Contractor Made anumbered time

> (fixed deposited) for twelve calendar months valued

> at(USD$3,500,000 million United States Dollars) in a

> domiciliary account inmy branch. Upon maturity, I sent a

> routine notification of account statues to hisforwarding

> address but got no reply, after two months, we sent a

> reminder ofsame letter and finally we discovered from his

> contact employers, SofimationOy, a Finland Company based in

> here in Netherlands that Lewis Andrews Died incar

> accident. After further investigation, I found out that he

> did notleave a WILL and all attempts to trace next of kin

> were fruitless. I thereforemade further investigation and

> discovered that he did not declare any Next ofKin in all his

> official documents.

>

>

> This sum of USD$3,500,000 is still floating in our bank and

> the interest isbeing rolled over with the principal sum at

> the end of each year. No one wouldcome forward to claim it,

> according to Dutch Law, at the expiration of 7 (six)years;

> the money will revert to the ownership of the Dutch

> government if nobodyapplies to claim these funds. Consequent

> upon the above, my proposal is that Iwould like you to

> stand in as the Next of Kin

>

>

>  I will quickly work out the full documentation and change

> the nameto yours and transfer of the funds

>

>  into yournominated account anywhere. We shall discuss

> the percentage as soonas I hear from you 

Thanks 

Graig Williams

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