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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: "Chukwugozie Young" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <chukwuyoung@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 18:05:54 +0100
Subject: PROPOSITION

From: Mr.Chukwugozie L.Young
Manager, Credit and Foreign
Bills,Zenith International Bank
Plc,Lagos-Nigeria.
My name is Mr.Chukwugozie L.Young, the manager Credit and Foreign Bills of Zenith International Bank Plc of Nigeria.I am writing in respect of a foreign customer of my bank Mr. Andreas Schranner, a German National, a property magnate, made a series of(Fixed) Deposit, valued at $15,500,000.00 (Fifteen Million, Five Hundred Thousand Dollars) for twelve calendar months with account number 14-255-2004/zib/t. Upon Maturity, we sent a routine notification to his forwarding address but got no response. After a month, we sent a reminder and finally we discovered from his company that Mr. Andreas Schranner was aboard the ill fated AF4590 plane, which crashed Monday,31 July, 2007 into the Hotelissimo.
Since the death of Mr. Andreas Schranner, I personally have watched with keen interest to see his next-of-kin but all has proved abortive as no one has come to claim his funds of US$15.5m (Fifteen Million,Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars), which has been with my bank for a very long time. On this note I decided to seek for whose name shall be used as his next-of-kin as no one has come up to be his next-of-kin. In view of this,I got your contact through my country's foreign trade mission after I was convinced by providence that your name could be used as his next-of-kin.The request of the foreigner as a next-of-kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that Mr. Andreas Schranner was a foreigner and a Nigerian cannot stand as his next-of-kin to a foreigner. I agreed that 40% of this money will be for you as a foreign partner in respect of providing a new bank account/support or we can use your old account information,while the rest will be for me, thereafter, I will visit your country for disbu
Therefore, to facilitate the immediate transfer of this fund to your account as arranged, you must apply first to the bank as a relation to Mr.Andreas Schranner indicating your private telephone number, and fax numbers for easy communication and the location where the money will be remitted. Upon the receipt of your reply, I will send you the next step to take.I will not fail to bring to your notice that this business is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any fear,as the whole required arrangement has been made for the transfer.
You should contact me immediately as soon as you receive this letter.Trusting to hear from you.
Your respectfully,
Mr.Chukwugozie L.Young

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