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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: steven walker <sw541275@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 1 Feb 2021 22:05:13 +0200
Subject: Next Of Kin.

Steven Peter Walker (Esq)
Stone Chambers, 4 Field Court,
Gray's Inn, London,
WC1R 5EF..
Email: sw8284205@gmail.com
Email: steven_walkeresq@barid.com

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 (sw8284205@gmail.com) 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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