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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: "Michael Burlington" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <michaelburlington@webmail.hu>
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2020 09:42:22 -0700
Subject: Information

Hello Dear,
 
I am aware that this is certainly not a conventional way of approach to establish a relationship of trust, but you will realize the need for my action. My name is Michael Burlington, an accounts manager with TD Canada Trust Bank. I retrieved your contact address in my search for the next of kin or someone with same last name to a deceased customer of our bank late ENGR. JAMES , an engineer who worked for a London Ontario Canada based Private Electricity Company for thirteen years. Unfortunately this customer died intestate in a ghastly car crash leaving his bank account with an open beneficiary status. All efforts made by our bank to locate his relatives have been unsuccessful so I decided to write you as I have monitored this account in the bank for 3 years now and no one has come forth with any claim.
 
Before his death, he had an investment deposit with my bank totaling the sum of $47,500, 000.00 (FORTY SEVEN MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND U.S. DOLLARS ONLY). This investment was with TD Bank Private Investment Company, an affiliate of TD Bank. As the accounts manager to late ENGR. JAMES , the bank law states that after 3 years of dormancy with no activity on an investment account and no claim by any family heir/inheritor, the money gets confiscated or reverted to the government treasury as unclaimed. I would like to present you to our bank as his next of kin to claim this money.
 
You will apply to the bank as an extended relative to the deceased customer while I work from the inside to make sure all needed information and evidences are provided to you to back up your claim. The account has an open beneficiary status that is why I have contacted you to come forth and claim the funds as the next of kin and beneficiary. Since he is from your country and you both share the same last name, it easy for you to become his official next of kin. This transaction is 100% risk free and I assure you that this transaction would be handled under due inheritance claim procedures and every necessary legitimate arrangement will be put in place to make you the sole beneficiary of the funds. Please take note that this transaction requires all confidentiality at this stage and I believe that you are ready to keep this absolutely discreet until after the successful transfer of the funds to your bank account. Also, I have worked out all modalities to complete the transaction succes sfully. After the transfe
 
Reply via my private email address at : michaelburlington@webmail.hu  for further clarification or you can leave a private number where I can reach you. If your response is positive stating you are interested to work with me, I will provide you with my private cell phone number so that we could have a confidential conversation. Please also be kind to get back to me if you are not interested.
Kind Regards,
Michael Burlington.

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