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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: "Mr. Thomas Smith" <akoffi718@gmail.com>
Reply-To: muau0001@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2023 22:02:48 +0100
Subject: Letter of Inheritance

Hello,

I am aware that this letter has come to you as a surprise as we have not
met before or handled any business deal in the past. However, I have
contacted you in good faith and with genuine intentions, and I look forward
to offering you this Inheritance Opportunity that I explain below. My name
is Mr. Thomas Smith, Account Officer at Revolute Financial Services
England, United Kingdom.

I retrieved your contact address in my search for a trustworthy partner to
stand as the next of kin to a deceased customer of our bank's late client,
who died in London from Cardiac Arrest in the year 2016; unfortunately, he
died intestate leaving his account in our bank with an open beneficiary
status.

All efforts made by our bank to locate his relatives have been
unsuccessful, so I decided to write to you as I have monitored this account
in the bank for almost 8 years, and no one has come forth with any claim.

I would like to present you to our bank as his next of kin to claim this
dormant account worth Eighteen Million Seven Hundred Thousand British
Pounds Sterling. 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 evidence is provided to back up your claim since you both
share the same last name.

During the latest managerial meeting held in our bank, in line with the new
financial year that started in April; an open beneficiary mandate was
placed on all dormant accounts to encourage possible relatives to come
forth with a claim, If not, these accounts would be
reverted to the coffers of the British Government as unclaimed estate at
the expiration of an 8-year dormancy period approved by the Government.

It was on this the decision of the bank that I hastened up to write you
this letter as it is very obvious that no member of the family has any
knowledge of this account; else these funds shouldn't be left dormant until
this date, and I am sure you do not want the Government to claim it either.

On completion of this transaction and funds confirmed in your account, we
shall disburse the funds equally. As an insider in the bank, I am here to
guide you in all the procedures, and I promise you'll be successful once
you keep strictly to my instructions. This transaction would be handled
under due inheritance procedures and legitimate
arrangements to keep us free from any breach of the law.

It also requires all confidentiality at this stage, and I believe that you
are ready to keep this information Top-secret until we can claim the funds
from the bank.

Please send your reply to my email address indicating that you are ready to
proceed with this transaction and I will send you further details.

Best Wishes,

Mr. Thomas Smith

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