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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: "PNC Bank" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <klaus@financier.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2018 14:23:54 -0800
Subject: Important Update On Your PNC Account

Dear Customer,

Your online access to Telephone Banking and Online Banking has been suspended.

Please note that we have introduced a new online authentication procedures in order to protect the private information of our customers.

You will not be able to have access to your account until you validate your online details with us,
click here to validate your online details

Once you've completed this you'll be able to manage your money whenevr you want, giving you more control of your finances.

Thank you for banking with PNC Bank

Sincerely,

PNC Bank Customer Care

Anti-fraud resources: