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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: "National Westminster Bank" (may be fake)
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2018 10:39:53 +0100
Subject: New Important Message

Image result for natwest

Dear Customer,

To ensure the integrity of our online banking security system and protects all customers personal information & financial assets against unauthorized use at no cost. We have simplified our online banking login page and updated our security system.

While performing customers account maintenance and verification procedures, we have detected a slight error in your account personal information's. We have been trying to contact you. However, we are unable to reach you.

For your security, access to your account(s) has been restricted. Restricted account(s) will not be able to (Receive payments, Make payments or withdraw funds) until account verification procedures as been confirm.

This might be due to either of the following reasons:

. A recent change in your personal information. (eg: address, phone)
. Login from an unrecognized machine or device
. Too many incorrect login attempts

Due to this, we request you to confirm and verify your account(s) information with us immediately by following the secure log in reference button giving below.

Login

Best Regards
NatWest Bank Online Security Team

How does it work?

If we detect either of the reasons above, we may decide that we want to confirm that it's really you. You must complete all steps otherwise you will not be able to use the online service until we have completed additional security checks.

We appreciate your business and the opportunity to serve you

Anti-fraud resources: