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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: kenneth B Baker
Reply-To: kennethsjc@hotmail.com
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2019 10:14:05 +0000
Subject: Attn

Good day!!

How are you today? Below was my first email to you:

My name is Kenneth B.Baker a South African-American citizen; a Private Asset Manager and legal adviser to Mr. Daniel (deceased). My client was a businessman who was dealing in precious metals and Property development here in South Africa. He died in a fatal car crash along with his only surviving son on the 24th of September 2009 but had earlier lost his wife to Cancer. Since his death the onus has been on me to locate any of his surviving relatives. To this end I have written several letters to the few people I know with intent to locate any of his extended relatives who can be presented as Administrators/beneficiaries of his abandoned personal estate and all such efforts have been to no avail.

In line with the succession laws here in South Africa executed through the Master of the Court; I have received official letters from the holding bank in the last few weeks suggesting a likely proceeding to surrender the abandoned financial asset of Thirty Million United States Dollars ($30,000, 000.00) of my Late client to the South African State since he died without finalizing a Will and no relative of him has been found. This move made me became desperate to search for a credible person who shares the Surname of my late client to present as the beneficiary of his Estate. Believing in trust, I was urged to contact you seeing that you have the same surname as my late client so that I may, with your consent, present you as the only surviving family member so as to enable you put up a claim to the Bank in the capacity as a next of kin and administrator of my late client’s estate. Note that you might not be related to my client by consanguinity but that should not be a source of worry because I have worked out a perfect way to present you legally and without hitch.

If you are interested, I would want you to follow through the process of the claim with me because I do not just want this inheritance go to the government; do not worry we can claim it legally. Moreover, although this person might not be your known relative, if i do not present anybody after this period, the money will necessarily be reverted back to the state and I do not want that to happen.

I am proposing that 50% of the net sum will accrue to you at the conclusion of this transaction in so far as I do not incur further expenses.

Therefore, to facilitate the immediate transfer of this fund, you need, first to contact me by email signifying your interest and as soon as I obtain your confidence, I will immediately furnish you with the complete details as well as send you the documents, with which you are to proceed and I shall direct on how to put up an application to the Bank.

HOWEVER, you will have to accent to an express agreement which I will forward to you in order to bind us in this transaction.

Upon the receipt of your reply, I will send you by E-mail the next step to take. 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.

Please note that, i would prefer utmost discretion in handling this claim.


Best regards,

Kenneth B . Baker
4 Loop Road, 5th Floor, 8001,
Cape Town, South Africa

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