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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: "Charles Christensen." (may be fake)
Reply-To: <robertdick68@yahoo.com.au>
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2017 13:37:46 +0100
Subject: Congratulations !!!

Dear ,


This email is from the Funds Verification Unit of the Debt Management Office. We are responsible for monitoring & investigating the legitimacy of UNPAID Contract payments and to ensure that all approved contract/inheritance payments are paid in full to the rightful beneficiaries. We have tried several times to contact you regarding the release of your contract/inheritance payment worth $10,500,000.00 {Ten Million, Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars} and received no response from you; the emails sent to you always return undelivered. After Extensive close door meetings with Board of Directors and other Stake holders, it has been resolved and agreed that your contract/inheritance Fund would be released to you via a newly designed payment method.


You were listed as a beneficiary in the recent schedule for payment of outstanding debts incurred by the BRITISH GOVERNMENT pending since 2009. According to your record; with your email address, your payment is categorized as: (Contract type: Lottery /inheritance/ unpaid funds/Undelivered Lottery fund) but On 31st October 2016, Federal Ministry of Finance met with the Senate Tax Committee on Finance regarding unclaimed funds which have been due for release for a long run and at the end of the meeting, the Federal Ministry of Finance have mandated all unclaimed funds to be released back to the beneficiaries stating that it is an unfair practice to withhold funds in government account for one reason or the other for tax accumulations therefore, we are writing this email to inform you that ($10,500,000.00) or it's equivalent have been approved to be released to you in your name as concluded by the Board.


In receipt of this confidential Letter, you are required to email this office immediately you receive this message to reconfirm your information as listed below.


1) Your Full Name.
2) Your Contact Address.
3) Your Occupation, Age, and Marital status
4) Your Home Phone, Mobile/Cell Phone and fax Number.
5) Attach Copy of Identification.


As soon as I receive this information, I will make out a new file for your payment and proceed with the processing of your fund release.



Cordially,

Charles Christensen.
Funds Verification, Consolidation & Reconciliation Unit,
Debt Management Office.

Anti-fraud resources: