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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: "AttorneyMike Cole" <attorneyesqmikecole@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: mikecolechambers@yahoo.com
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 23:13:48 +0000
Subject: From Attorney Mike Cole esq

From Attorney Mike Cole esq

This is a personal email directed to you and I request that it should be
treated as such.

I am the personal attorney/sole executor to the late client who bears
thesame name with you,hereinafter referred to as 'my client' who worked as
an independent oil magnate in my country and who died in a car crash with
his immediate family on the 5th of Nov 2004. Since the death of my client in
Nov, 2004, I have written several letters to the embassy with an intent to
locate any of his extended relatives whom shall be claimants/beneficiaries
of his abandoned personal estate and all such efforts have been to no
avail.More so, I have received official letters in the last few weeks
suggesting a likely proceeding for confiscation of his abandoned personal
assets in line with existing laws by the bank in which my client deposited
the sum of 9.8m GBP.The board of directors of the company now adopted a
resolution and I was mandated to provide his next of kin for the payment of
this money within the next 15 official working days or forfeit the money as
an abandoned fund. The company had planned to invoke the abandoned property
decree of 1996 to confiscate the funds after the expiration of the period
given to me but after an investigation in the finance company, I found out
that some members of the company wants to divert this fund into their
private accounts for their own selfish interest and only want, to use the
excuse that since I am not able to look for some one to make the claim, the
money should be made unserviceable and that means submitting the fund to the
federal government of this country and some to the company management which
is not their main intentions.

By virtue of my closeness to the deceased and his immediate family, I am
very much aware of my client's financial standing. I do sincerely sympathize
the death of my client, but had thought it unprofitable for his funds to be
submitted to the federal government of this country and the finance company
where it is lodged. I have reasoned very professionally and I feel it will
be legally proper to present you as the next of kin of my deceased client
which is legally possible and would be done in accordance with the laws of
the land. On this note I decided to search for a credible person and finding
that you bear a similar last name, I was urged to contact you, that I may,
with your consent, present you to the "trustee" bank as my late client's
surviving family member so as to enable you put up a claim to the bank in
that capacity as a next of kin of my client, so that the proceeds of This
Bank Account valued at Nine Million Eight Hundred Thousand British Pounds
Sterling only(9.8million ) can be paid to you, before they get confiscated
or declared unserviceable to the bank where this huge deposit is lodged.
Note that this is legal, and 100% risk free since I have all vital documents
that would be requested by them and that would confer you the legal right to
make this claim. I find this possible for the main reason that you bear a
similar last name with my client making it a lot easier for you to put up a
claim in that capacity. Therefore, to facilitate the immediate reprofiling
of this fund, you need, first to contact me via my alternative email address
signifying your interest and as soon as I obtain your confidence, I will
immediately intimate you with the complete details as well as fax you the
documents, with which you are to proceed and I shall direct on how to put up
an application to the bank.

HOWEVER, you will have to assent to an express agreement which I will
forward to you in order to bind us in this transaction. Upon the receipt of
your reply, I will send you by fax or E-mail the next step to take. I will
not fail to bring to your notice that this proposal is hitch-free and that
you should not entertain any fears as the required arrangements have been
made for the completion of this transfer. I guarantee that this will be
executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any
breach of the law. Please get in touch with me through my alternative email:
attorneymikecole@satellite-email.com for better confidentiality and send to
me your telephone and fax numbers to enable us discuss further about this
transaction.
Like I said, I require only a solemn confidentiality on this. Please let me
have your opinion as soon as possible for my contact number is +
(44)-703-194-5802 and If this proposal is acceptable by you, do not take
undue advantage of the trust I have bestowed in you, I await your urgent
response.

Give me a call at your earliest convenience.

Yours Sincerely,
Attorney Mike Cole.
Tel: + (44)-703-194-5802
Fax: + (44)-870-478-9880
This message is sent by a law firm and may contain information that is
privileged or confidential. If you received this transmission in error,
please notify the sender by reply e-mail and delete the message and any
attachments.

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