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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: "Herman Hansley" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <hermanhansley92@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 8 May 2011 18:38:27 +0800
Subject: Letter of Introdcution from Herman R Hansley

>From The Desk of Herman Hansley

Accept my apology in advance if you feel offended by this Letter. My Name is Herman Hansley,a Banker by profession, I work with Bank Of Africa (BOA)

I have a business proposition which I will gladly want to partner together with you, please read details as unveiled below. In January 2001,a Lebanese Oil Consultant/Contractor (Steve B.Higa) made a numbered-time (fixed deposit) for twenty four calendar months valued at ($25.150 M) TWENTY FIVE MILLION ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND UNITED STATED DOLLARS Upon maturity, I sent a routine notification of Account status to his forwarding address but got no reply up till date.

After two months, we sent a reminder of same letter, and finally we discovered from his contact employers, (Halliburton Oil Services Company)that Steve B.Higa died in a Beirut-bound charter jet Plane Crash on the December 26, 2003. Please view more details about the crash:
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/12/25/benin.crash/index.html?

This office has exhaustively made efforts to locate the next of kin/beneficiary, or any relative of our deceased customer,all to no avail and not successful.

I have contacted you to assist me in securing this money before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by this bank. The banking law and guidelines here stipulates that if such an account remains dormant or non-operational after a period of Eight (8) years,the money will be transferred into banking treasury as unclaimed bill.

However, attempts have been made twice by the Government Agency concerned to confiscate this account if not for my intervention as the head account and audit dept. I have always told them that the next of kin has been in touch with us. The request of a foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner.

Your response will determine our subsequent correspondence.
On replying please provide the following for effective communication:

Full Name:
Secure E-mail:
Secure Fax Number:
Cell Phone:

This transaction requires utmost trust and sincerity, get back to me so i can give you more details so we can proceed.

Best regards,
Herman Hansley

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