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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: "DR WATSON HUGH" <wathugh@yahoo.ie>
Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2006 16:16:17 -1200
Subject: ATTN: BUSINESS ASSISTANCE FROM WATSON.

ATTN: BUSINESS ASSISTANCE FROM WATSON.

My name is Watson Hugh, an American Citizen . I work in the
credit and accounts department of African Continental Bank
International, Nigeria. I write you in respect of a foreign
customer with a domiciliary account. His name is Engineer
Manfred Becker. He was among those who died in te Belleview
plane crash which happened on the 25th ctober,2005 in
Nigeria.

Since the demise of this our customer, Engineer Manfred
Becker .I have kept a close watch of the deposit records and
accounts because I was the Account officer, and nobody has
come to claim the money as next of kin. He had only
$18.5mllion in his a/c and the a/c is coded. It is only an
insider that could produce the code or password of the
deposit particulars. As it stands now, there is nobody in
that position to produce the needed information other than
my very self considering my position as the A/C officer.

Based on the reason that nobody has come forward to claim
the deposit as next of kin, I hereby ask for your co
operation in using your name as the next of kin to the
deceased to send these funds out to a foreign offshore bank
a/c for mutual sharing between myself and you.

At this point I am the only one with the information because
I have
removed the deposit file from the safe. By so doing, what is
required
is to send an application laying claims of the deposit on
your name as
next of kin to the deceased. I will need your full name and
address
telephone/fax number, company or residential, also your bank
name and
account, where the money will be transfer into and a copy of
your
passport.

I am currently in Europe for a six months course, thou I
have less than one week to be back to my station.

Trusting to hear from you, You can still check the plane
crash information at:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/10/23/nigeria.plane/

Yours
Sincerely,

Watson Hugh.



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