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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: info@secure.net
Reply-To: stevenwalkerchambers@workmail.co.za
Date: 15 Oct 2018 10:20:56 -0700
Subject: Read Business Letter

Steven Peter Walker(Esq)
Stone Chambers, 4 Field Court,
Gray's Inn, London,
WC1R 5EF..
Email: stevenwalkerchambers@workmail.co.za

Greetings To You,

This is a personal email directed to you and I request that it be
treated as such. I am Steven Walker, a personal attorney/sole
executor to the late Engineer Robert M, herein after referred to
as" my client" I represent the interest of my client killed with
his immediate family in a fatal motor accident in East London on
November 5, 2002.and I will like to negotiate the terms of
investment of resources available to him.

My late client worked as consulting engineer & sub-comptroller
with Genesis Oil and Gas Consultants Ltd here in the United
Kingdom and had left behind a deposit of Six Million Eight
Hundred Thousand British Pounds Sterling only (£6.8million) with
a finance company. The funds originated from contract
transactions he executed in his registered area of business. Just
after his death, I was contacted by the finance house to provide
his next of kin, reasons been that his deposit agreement contains
a residuary clause giving his personal attorney express authority
to nominate the beneficiary to his funds. Unknown to the bank,
Robert had left no possible trace of any of his close relative
with me, making all efforts in my part to locate his family
relative to be unfruitful since his death. In addition, from
Robert's own story, he was only adopted and his foster parents
whom he lost in 1976, according to him had no possible trace of
his real family.

The funds had remained unclaimed since his death, but I had made
effort writing several letters to the embassy with intent to
locate any of his extended relatives whom shall be
claimants/beneficiaries of his abandoned personal estate, and all
such efforts have been to no avail. More so, I have received
official letters in the last few weeks suggesting a likely
proceeding for confiscation of his abandoned personal assets in
line with existing laws by the bank However, it will interest you
to know that I discovered that some directors of this finance
company are making plans already to have this fund to themselves
only to use the excuse that since I am unable to find a next of
kin to my late client then the funds should be confiscated,
meanwhile their intentions is to have the funds retrieved for
themselves.

I reasoned very professionally and resolved to use a legal means
to retrieve the abandoned funds, and that is to present the next
of kin of my deceased client to the bank. This is legally
possible and would be done in accordance with the laws. On this
note, I decided to search for a credible person and finding that
you bear a similar last name, I was urged to contact you, that I
may, with your consent, present you to the "trustee" bank as my
late client's surviving family member so as to enable you put up
a claim to the bank in that capacity as a next of kin of my
client. I find this to be possible for the fuller reasons that
you are of the same nationality and you bear a similar last name
with my late client making it a lot easier for you to put up a
claim in that capacity. I have all vital documents that would
confer you the legal right to lay claim to the funds, and it
would back up your claim. I am willing to make these documents
available to you so that the proceeds of this bank account valued
at £6.8million can be paid to you before it is confiscated or
declared unserviceable to the bank where this huge amount is
lodged.

I do sincerely sympathize the death of my client but I think that
it is unprofitable for his funds to be submitted to the
government of this country or some financial institution. I seek
your assistance since I have been unable to locate the relatives
for the past three years now and since no one would come for the
claim. I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin of
the deceased since you have the same last name giving you the
advantage which also makes the claim most credible . In that
stand, the proceeds of this account can be paid to you. Then, we
talk about percentage. I know there are others with the same
surname as my client, but after a little search, my instinct
tells me to contact you. I shall assemble all the necessary
documents that would be used to back up your claim.

I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate
arrangement that will protect you from any breach of law. I will
not fail to bring to your notice that this proposal is hitch-free
and that you should not entertain any fears as the required
arrangements have been made for the completion of this transfer.
As I said, I require only a solemn confidentiality on this.
Please get in touch via my alternative
email{stevenwalkerchambers@workmail.co.za} for better
confidentiality and if it's okay to you send me your telephone
and fax numbers to enable us discuss further on this transaction,
please do not take undue advantage of the trust I have bestowed
in you, Thanks for your understanding.

Kind Regards.
Barrister Steven Peter Walker.

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