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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: "Edwin Bennett" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <edwinbennett@rediffmail.com>
Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2018 03:34:53 +0300
Subject: Soliciting Your Partnership

Edwin Bennett

STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL & URGENT

I approach you today with due respect and honour. First of all, am sorry for intruding on your privacy by sending you this letter which is unsolicited for .But I will implore you to read through this letter with all diligence and attention, at the end, I leave you to draw your own conclusion on what line of action to take, but I positively believe the proposal will be of great interest to you, because every data and information given to you in this letter are verifiable and true.

I am Edwin Bennett, a Canadian Assistant legal attachГ© at the High Commission of Canada to Nigeria. I got your contact through personal inquiry and as a matter of urgency. I took my time before contacting you because of the confidential nature of this letter as well as my sensitive position in office. Though I know that a proposal like this will make anyone apprehensive. This is by virtue of its unfamiliar and sudden approach. But after going through your profile; I could no longer doubt your credibility and capability as regards this task. This is why I am convinced and willing to seek your assistance and total cooperation on this golden opportunity.

PREAMBLE: However, I write in respect of a letter of inquiry we received from the SECURITY STORAGE HOUSE. The letter requested contact information of the closest surviving relative of one MICHAEL SEKHON .According to the letter Mr SEKHON was a Canadian and client of the SECURITY STORAGE HOUSE who died in a local plane crash (EAS AIRLINE 2002) Based on the strength of the report, late SEKHON was a real estate investor and crude oil business man and had deposited the sum of US$17.500 Million with the security company, this was not disclose because this fund is in a trunk box for investment before his death.

The letter further stated that all meaningful efforts made to get response from his family through his agent (lawyer) for the completion of the transaction was a failure. After various unsuccessful attempts to reach the late investor's family through the Canadian Chambers of Commerce, the company decided to contact the Canadian High Commission on this regard. Since then, my female colleague Ms' Anita Shakelford, head of immigrants' record department had been working with our home office to contact the late investor's family at the request of the Security Company. Unfortunately, the home office was unable to contact anyone related to the late investor. Confirming our record, the deceased was believed to have spent greater part of his life outside Canada.

At this point, it became clear that the deceased origin status could not be ascertained. Since we could not locate the deceased relatives and considering the prevailing circumstance, we deliberately decided to delay our reply letter of findings to the Security Company to enable us search for a neutral and reliable person for a possible replacement.

THE DEAL: This is why I decided to contact you on behalf of my female colleague because of the decease's unknown origin status to enable us claim this fund. I now seek your permission to have you stand as the next of kin to the late investor, so that the fund could be claimed by you being the late beneficiary's next of kin. The Company had stated in the letter conditions for the release of the fund, should the next of kin decides not to complete the investment plans with them amongst which is that, the next of kin must be duly certified by the High Commission, and a letter to that effect must be tendered.

Interestingly, all documented information of the late investor's transactions is available to us in strict confidence. To this end, we once more appeal for your willingness and co-operation.

RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS: To this end, we once more appeal for your willingness and co-operation. Note that this proposal is risk free. Upon completion of this assignment, we will be happy to offer you 40% of this total sum as compensation for your assistance. We have also set aside 10% of the total sum for the settlement of all likely expenses that would be incurred during this transaction. You would also be informed of further details based on your response. If this proposal is acceptable by you, we appeal that you don't make undue advantage of the trust we have bestowed on you. This letter is strictly for your consumption alone.

Please give this a favourable consideration as it is for our mutual benefit. Send your responds to my E-mail: edwinbennett@rediffmail.com

Thank you,
Edwin Bennett.

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