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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: "FEDERAL RESERVE BANK" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <frb.off209@usa.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2017 12:47:57 -0800
Subject: Are you alive and okay? did you approve Mr. Manankov to claim your funds?

ETHAN NOVEMBER
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

frbbankinclaim@usa.com

This is to inform you that we have received a payment instruction from Mr. Victor Manankov, a Russian citizen demanding that we should transfer your funds to him, as you have given him the mandate and authorization for him to receive your funds interest of (Twelve Million, Four Hundred and Sixty-Eight Million United States Dollars).
Note that he has given us a bank account in Russia, where we should transfer your funds to him without delay.

VTB Bank Russia
Bank Address: 43 Ul. Vorontsovskaya, Moscow, 109044 Russia
Bank Tel: +7 (495) 739-77-99
Account name: Victor Manankov
Account number: 05334599
Swift code: VTBRRUMM
IBAN number: RU643VB40702810000350137480

Please, find his passport attached in this email for you to verify and identify if you have truly instructed and directed him to receive your funds.We have informed him to get an official Power of Authorization from you, before we will release the funds to him, which we are still waiting for. However, we want to inform and confirm to us at the FRB that you actually authorized him: you have within the next five (5) official working days to get back to us on this notice or we will release the funds to him.

Yours truly,
Ethan November
Federal Reserve Bank
United States of America
Direct line: +1(210)417-4678
frbbankinclaim@usa.com

Anti-fraud resources: