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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: "Mr. Michael Agbakoba" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <unorga09@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2018 06:00:44 -0700
Subject: Compliment Of The Day,

Compliment Of The Day,
 
I Write You After Proper Consideration That A Telephone Conversation May Not Be An Ideal Medium To Contact You. I Am Mr. Michael Agbakoba, A Cousin And Personal Assistant To The Late Chief Mrs. Stella Obasanjo, The Late Wife Of The Former President Olusegen Obasanjo Of Nigeria Who Died In Spain On Sunday The 23rd Of Oct 2005 After An Unsuccessful Surgery Operation.
 
As The Cousin And Personal Assistant To The Deceased I Handle In Confidence Some Of Her Affairs, Mostly Properties, Investment And Funds Both Domestic And Overseas. In This Case My Sister/Client Who Left Eight Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (8,500,000.00) And So Many Other Investments With My Signatory Abroad For Her Personal Reason.
 
The Family Will Call Me To Account For Her Properties And Funds Overseas After Five Years Of Her Death According To The Tradition Our People Which Will Happen Any Moment From Now As Its Past Five Years.
 
So At This Juncture, I Seek Your Consent To Write The Bank And Present You As A Beneficiary Of Some Part Of The Fund Which Has Been Approved For Transfer By My Late Cousin Sister In Her Fund Deposited In A Particular Bank, Since I Have All The Documents Regarding The Deposited Funds Which I Will Disclose To You As We Progress In This Transaction.
 
All We Require From You Is 100% Trust, And Honest Corporations To Enable Us See This Deal Through, I Guarantee That This Will Be Executed Under Legitimate Arrangement That Will Protect You From Any Breach Of The Law, As I Will Use My Position As A Close Confidant Of Her To Secure Approvals And Guarantee The Successful Execution Of This Transaction. It Will Take Between 7-10 Working Days To Conclude This Transaction.
 
The Sharing Formula Will Be 60% For Us 30% For You And 5 % For Charity To My Cousin's Pet Project CHILD CARE TRUST FOUNDATION , For The Less Privileged And Disabled Children And The Remaining 5% Will Be Set Aside For Any Expenses Incurred During The Course Of Transfer Process. Upon Your Prompt Reply Of Your Acceptance To This Mail, I Will Forward A Letter For Fund Transfer On Your Behalf To The Bank To Your Designated Bank Account. I Wait In Anticipation For Your Cooperation In Reply, And I Am Also Ready For Any Question Concerning The Clarity Of This Transaction.
 
Please Be Informed That Your Utmost Confidentiality Is Required. Upon Consideration By You, Kindly Send To Me Your Followings:
 
1. Full Name
2. Address
3. Age/Sex
4. Occupation
5. Phone Numbers
 
Please Reply Through This Email Address: unorga09@gmail.com
 
Yours Sincerely,
Mr. Michael Agbakoba.

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