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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: "Hou Wey Fook" <admin@sbc.sa>
Reply-To: <houweyfook@tutanota.com>
Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2018 22:28:07 -0700
Subject: Vested Opportunity (Resent) HYLEJYIBQI

Good day to you,
 
My name is Hou Wey Fook, Deputy Manager for the China Trust
Commercial Bank, China. I am writing you
 
regarding the estate of a deceased client, and an investment
placed under our banks management 7 years ago.
 
I would respectfully request that you keep the contents of this
mail confidential and respect the integrity of the information you come by as a result of this
mail.
 
I contact you independently and no one is informed of this communication.
In 2010, the subject matter; Alfred Moser came to our bank to engage in business discussions with
our private banking division.
 
He informed us that he had a financial portfolio of Forty-One
Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars, which he wished to have us invest
on his behalf.
 
Based on my advice, we spun the money around various
opportunities and made attractive margins
 
for our first months of operation, the accrued profit and
interest stood at over Six Million. In
 
mid 2012, he instructed that the principal sum be liquidated
because he needed to make an urgent investment requiring cash payments in Hong Kong.
 
We got in touch with the Kincheng Banking Corporation which is a
specialist bank in China, and
 
has now been merged with the Bank of China, with a foreign
representative branch in Hong Kong
 
who agreed to receive this money for a fee and make cash
available to Alfred.
 
However, Bank of China got in touch with us this year that this
money has not been claimed. On
 
further inquiries we found out that Alfred was involved in an
accident in Mainland China, which
 
means he died Interstate. On further investigation we found out
that Late Alfred left behind no
 
next of kin and this is the reason I am writing you.
 
What I propose is that since I have exclusive access to his
file, and I can make you the
 
beneficiary of these funds. My bank will contact you informing
you that money has been willed to
 
you. On verification, which will be the details I make available
to my bank, my bank will
 
instruct Bank of China to make payments to you. You do not have
to have known him. I know this
 
might be a bit heavy for you, but please trust me on this. For
your assistance I propose to give
 
you 30% of the total amount in question. In banking circles this
happens from time to time,
 
where people die without leaving a Will or beneficiary. The other
option is that the money will
 
revert back to the state once it is unclaimed within a specific
time frame.
 
Nobody is getting hurt; this is a lifetime opportunity for us. I
hold the KEY to these funds,
 
and as a Chinese National we see so much cash and funds being re-
assigned daily. I would want us
 
to keep communication for now strictly by fax/mail, as time goes
on I shall put a call across and also furnish you with my telephone number,
so you can also reach me by phone.
Please, again, note I am a family man; I have a wife and
children. I send you this mail not
 
without a measure of fear as to the consequences, however, I know
within me that nothing
 
ventured is nothing gained and that success and riches never come
easy or on a platter of gold.
 
This is the one truth I have learned from my private banking
clients. Do not betray my
 
confidence. If we can be of one accord, we should act swiftly on
this.
 
 
I await your positive response.
 
Regards,
 
Hou Wey Fook
WCJIUJUVGCWPJUBXLOTHRIOQMJFLYDYGIRBPQC

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