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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: "Jeffrey Rice" <jeffreyrice60@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: jeffreyrice60@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2005 13:28:26 +0000
Subject: BEST REGARDS.

Dear Friend,
My name is Jeffrey Rice, I am the credit manager in a bank here in the
United Kingdom. I am contacting you in respect of the transfer of a huge sum
of money from a deceased account. Though I know that a transaction of this
nature and magnitude will make any one apprehensive and worried, but I am
assuring you that everything has been taken care of, and all will be well at
the end of the day. I decided to contact you due to the
secrecy,confidentiality and urgency of this transaction.

PROPOSITION;
I was the account officer of a foreigner, named Gerald Welsh who died inan
air crash along with his wife on the 31st October 1999 in an Egyptian
airline boeing 990 with other passengers on board. You can confirm this fact
from the website which was aired by the BBC WORLD NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/502503.stm

Since his death, none of his relations or persons have come forward to lay
claims to his this funds as next-of-kin, and on my own i have made concerted
effort to locate any of his relatives but all proved abortive, which makes
me to believe that maybe nobody of his knows that he was operating this
foreign account with my bank. Based on the ethics and policies of the bank,
this funds will be declared unclaimed funds and taken to the treasury of the
bank as capital base of the bank, because already the account has been
tagged dormant because it has exceeded the normal functional number of
years.

We cannot release the fund from his account unless someone applies for it
or laysclaim as the next-of-kin to the deceased as indicated in our banking
guidelines.Upon this discovery, I now seek your permission and assistance to
present you and have you stand as a next of kin to the deceased,so that the
funds can be released and transfer to you, as all documentations will be
carefully worked out by me for the funds (US$15,000,000.00) to be released
in your favor as the beneficiary's next of kin, if not the members of the
board of directors will utilise it for their personal aggrandisement.
Because afterfour years as this is the fifth year going the money will be
called back tothe bank treasury as unclaimed bills and the money shared
amongst the directors of the bank, so it is on this note i decided to seek
for whom his name shall be used as the next of kin/beneficiary to this funds
rather than allow the bank directors to share this money amongst themselves
at the end of the year.

It may interest you to know that I have secured from the probate commission
an order of mandamus to locate any of the deceased beneficiaries.Please
acknowledge receipt of this message in acceptance of our mutual business
endeavour by furnishing me with the following information if you are
interested.

1.A Beneficiary name..In order for me to prepare the document for transferof
the funds in your name.

2. Direct Telephone and fax numbers...For our personal contact and
mutualtrust in each other.

Upon your acceptance I shall send you my identity for more confidentiality
and trust in each other as i shall trust you not to elope with this funds
when it finally gets to your account. I shall be compensating you with a
million dollars ($1Million dollars) on final conclusion of this project for
your assistance, while the balance, i shall use in prolific investment
projects as I intend to retire after the conclusion of this transaction. If
this proposal is acceptable by you, please endeavor to contact me
immediately.

Do not take undue advantage of the trust I have bestowed in you, I await
your urgent response.

Regards,
Mr.Jeffery Rice.


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