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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 Bureau of Investigation" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <federalbureauofnvestigation9@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2018 06:44:47 +0100
Subject: LETTER FROM THE FEDERALS

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
INTELLIGENCE FIELD UNIT
http://www.fbi.gov
J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
935 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, NW WASHINGTON, D.C
20535-0001, USA.
 
Attention,
 
This is to inform you that we have just intercepted a trunk box at JFK airport in New York, and we are on the verge moving it to our bureau head quarters.
After scanning the box we found out that it contains a total sum of $2.1 million and also backup document which bears your name as the receiver of the money contained in the box, as investigations carried out on the diplomat who was moving with the box, he said that he was to deliver this funds to your residence as payment which was due from the United Nation Compensation Commission (UNCC )office of the United Nation Headquarter New York.
 
After cross-checked all legal documentation attached to the box, We found out that the documents is lacking one very important documentation which as a result that, the box has been confiscated.
Because! According to section 229 sub section 31 of the 1991 constitution in tax payment, your consignment lacks tax clearance certificate paper from the joint team of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and homeland security, and therefore, you must contact us for direction on how to procure this certificate, so that you can be relieved of the charges of evading tax which is a punishable offense under section 12 sub section 441 of constitution on tax evasion.
You are required to contact this bureau within 72 hours, or you will be arrested, interrogated and prosecuted in the court of law for money laundering.
Also, you must not contact any other bank or persons in any part of the world for any payment, because your consignment have been confiscated by this bureau here in the united states.
 
Yours in service,
 
Andrew McCabe,
ACTING DIRECTOR FBI.
 

Anti-fraud resources: