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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: "Stephen O'Brien" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <myoffice.zendept@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 2020 09.46.03 +0100
Subject: IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF YOUR FUND VIA ATM MASTER CARD

World Bank Assisted Program
Directorate Of International Payment
And Transfer. Debt
Reconciliation/Audit Unit United
Nations Headquarters,
New York, NY 10017, U.S.A.
Our Ref: WB/NF/UN/XX028 United Nations.
 
Attn: Beneficiary
 
         IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF YOUR FUND  VIA ATM MASTER CARD
 
It is a pleasure to write you that we have reconciled with our logistic department on the reimbursement of some fund spent by you during the cause of your inadequate dealings with some impostors who claim to be staff in banks and other regional payment centers. Our reconciliation teams with the prospectus instruments of the United Nations after freezing suspected impostors accounts. These supports was fully effective with the help of World Bank after a summit meeting in U.S.A, on the financial analysis on financial stability issues fluctuating their economy with the international global standard.
 
After gathering of this sum, our logistic department gave us a list of customers to be paid the sum US$1.5M (One million, Five hundred thousand United States Dollars) who fell victims to this impostors due to unawareness. And mode of payment was as well specified for proper conducts and financial regulations to kick against criminality during process of payment. We have arranged your payment through E-banking. (online banking system) or our swift card centers, which is the latest instruction from International Monetary Fund Reconciliation Office.
 
The card center will send you an ATM master card loaded with cash which you will use to withdraw your money in any ATM center, Banks and Union Pay Credit outlets in the world, You are hereby selected as an honour for this payment approval, which you are to acknowledge the receipt of this email in returning the required below personal details to the ZENITH BANK Department by email listed below for issuers and delivery of your ATM Card.
 
Paying Bank: Zenith Bank Plc,
Contact Person: Chris Lucas, 
E-mail: zenremitcarddpt@yahoo.com
 
 
Finally; for the purpose of proper verification of your claims, it is imperative that you furnish us with the following of your details necessary to process release/remittance of your payment:
 
 
1) YOUR FULL NAME(S).................
2) FULL ADDRESS, CITY ( FOR ATM DELIVERY) ................
3) MOBILE PHONE AND FAX..............
4) COMPANY NAME......................
5) POSITION AND ADDRESS (IF ANY).....
6) PROFESSION........................
8) AGE, AND MARITAL STATUS:...............
 
For your information, you have to stop any further communication with any other person (s) or office (s) to avoid any hitches in receiving your payment. Because of Impostors, we hereby issued you our code of conduct, which is (ATM-7750) so you have to indicate this code when contacting the Card center by using it as your subject.
 
 
Kindly be informed that recipients shall be liable to all cost arising for the delivery of the donation parcel. This is due to Legal law protecting all donation funds misappropriation.
 
 
Yours in Service,
Stephen O'Brien.
United Nations Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs,
Emergency Relief
Coordinator.
 
 
NOTICE: This E-mail (including attachments) is covered by the Electronic Communication Privacy Acts, 18 U.S.C Sec 2510-2521, is confidential and may be legally privileged. The information is solely for the use of the addressee named above. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution, or other use of the contents of this information is strictly prohibited. If you have received this E-mail in error, please notify us by return e-mail and delete this message

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