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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: "Escot Esmahill Mollah." (may be fake)
Date: Mon, 2 May 2011 19:43:20 +0200
Subject: Partnership Inuiry.

DEAR SIR,
 
My name is Mr. Escot Esmahill Mollah from Northern Ireland, resident in Dubai United Arab Emirates. I am a banker and a guru in Information Technology currently working with one of the leading banks in UAE. I am contacting you to see if you could partner with me in some lucrative Electronic Transfer deals which could fetch us US$28.860.000m, and this deal will go on and completed without being detected. TRUST ME, THERE IS NO RISK INVOLVED.
 
DETAILS:
In 2007, the UAE Banker's association did publish a list of dormant accounts originally opened by non-UAE citizens. This was done after intense pressure by the international community through the Independent Committee of Eminent Persons (ICEP) who saw the highly coded nature of the UAE banking system as a big threat to the present day global financial community. It was observed that most of these accounts had been dormant since 10 to 15 years and majority belonged to Investors in UAE who are Victims of plane crashes and sudden deaths.
The continuing efforts of the Independent Committee of Eminent Persons (ICEP) have since resulted in the discovery of more and more additional dormant accounts belonging to a few Military dictators and some sit-tight leaders of North Africa and the Middle East.
 
The published lists contained all types of dormant accounts, including interest-bearing savings accounts, securities accounts, safe deposit boxes, numbered accounts, un-numbered coded accounts, and non-interest-bearing transaction accounts. Interestingly, so many more were not uncovered (especially the un-numbered accounts), were as no claims came forth on even some of the ones published as most of the beneficiaries perished alongside their heirs in the Plane Crash. Regrettably, the UAE government have continued to sit on most of these unclaimed funds ever since as provided by the law for management of assets of deceased beneficiaries who died interstate (living no wills).
 
In My bank I have broken some codes, bugged the bank’s database and have been able to view some of these accounts and secured one of the deposit slip belonging to A German businessman and real estate that died with his entire family in one of the plane crash recently. I need a foreigner or any account holder outside of UAE to partner with me in the transfer of funds out of this account. I already have a secure and encrypted cross-border wire transfer platform which guarantees safe transactions.
 
All that is required is for us to discuss this if you are interested so we can arrange for a possible face-to-face meeting to discuss the sharing ratio and to formalize all necessary legal documentations that would govern the deal in order to protect our respective interests since we are both strangers to each other. More details as well as my contacts shall be given to you upon your response.
 
Kindly get back to me with your comments/position on this.
 
Anticipating your prompt response.
Mr. Escot Esmahill Mollah.

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