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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: "Luis Antonio" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <lantonio@zing.vn>
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2011 06:00:16 -0800
Subject: Please indicate your interest


ANTONIO & ASSOCIATES
Abogados - lawyers
C/ Tutor, 27 E28008, Madrid - España.

TOP SECRET

Dear friend,

Before I proceed, I must first apologize for this unsolicited letter to you. 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 Barrister Luis Antonio of ANTONIO & ASSOCIATES LEGAL PRACTITIONERS & FINANCIAL SOLICITORS. Actually, I got your contact information through the INTERNATIONAL public records while searching for a last name similar to my late client, an expatriate engineer who worked with the Mining and Smelting Company (Asturiana de Zinc S.A.) in Spain for thirteen years. He died along with his family during the Tsunami catastrophe, which occurred on Monday 27 December 2004.

Before his death, he deposited One Trunk Box/Diplomatic Personal Treasure, containing the sum of $12.8M (TWELVE MILLION AND EIGHT HUNDRED THOUSAND U.S. DOLLARS ONLY) with a security company here in Spain, but he did not disclosed the content of deposited diplomatic consignment to the security company, for security reasons. The security company has mandated me to present any family heir/inheritor for claim before the consignment gets confiscated or reverts to the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, as an unclaimed diplomatic immunity. So I decided to search for any of my late client's relative which has been very difficult for me, as he did not declare any other person, address, partner or relatives in the official paper works of his diplomatic consignment deposit.

Against this backdrop, my suggestion to you is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand as the next of kin to the late depositor to since you both shares the same last name so that the diplomatic consignment will be released to you. With my position as his lawyer, I will now place your name as the next of kin to my late client. I will prepare every relevant document that will assist your claims, and facilitate the release of the consignment to you as the next of kin.

Note that this transaction is 100% risk free. And I guarantee that this transaction will be executed under a legitimate arrangement without the breach of the law. Also, I have worked out all modalities to complete the transaction successfully. Once the diplomatic consignment is released to you, we shall share in the ratio of 70% for me, 30% for you as your benefit. Reply via my private email address or you can leave a private number where I can reach you. Please be kind to get back to me if you are not interested so that I can further my search for another partner.

Best Regards

Barrister Luis Antonio
E: lantonio@zing.vn

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