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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: "Mr. Thomas Smith" <jedodji1973@gmail.com>
Reply-To: muau0001@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2023 22:32:34 +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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