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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: "David Ephraim" <ephraimdavid06@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: david_ephraim@excite.com
Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2007 14:56:33 +0000
Subject: Hello

>From The Desk Of David Ephraim.
Bill and Exchange Manager
CAJA DE FORTUNA BANK (FOREIGN PAYMENT AND PROCEESING CENTRE)
Calle Vizcaya 2 Atocha,28045 Madrid Spain


ATTN.

With due respect and humility, I write to you this proposal.I am the Manager
of bill and exchange at the foreign remittance department of Caja De
Fortuna Banco in Madrid. I am writing following the
impressive information about you, l got your contact in my quest for a
reliabe and capable person to assist me in this deal.

Though I know that a business of this magnitude will make any one
apprehensive, but I am assuring you that all will be well at the end of the
day. We have decided to contact you by email due to the urgency of this
"deal", as we have been reliably informed of your honesty and ability in a
transaction of this nature.

In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of US$30m dollars (THIRTY
Million US dollars) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign
customer (MR. ANDREAS SCHRANNER from Munich, Germany) who died along with
his entire family in July 2000 in a plane crash.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm


About his death, we have been expecting his next of kin to come forward and
claim his money because we cannot release it unless somebody applies for it
as next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking
guidelines and policies but unfortunately we learnt that all his supposed
next of kin or relation died alongside with him at the ugly plane crash
leaving nobody behind for the claims. It is therefore upon this discovery
that I have decided to make this businness proposal to you to transact this
DEAL with you and to act as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for
safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming forth and l dont
want this money to go into the Bank treasury as unclaimed Bill.

According to our Banking policies and guideline here which stipulates that
if such money remained unclaimed after five years,the money will
automatically be transfered into the Bank treasury as unclaimed fund. My
request for a foreigner to ac t as next of kin in this business is by the
fact that the customer was a foreigner and a citizen of this country cannot
stand or put claims as next of kin to a foreigner. l agreed to offer 30% of
the total fund to you, for your assistance, to act as the next of Kin to the
foreigner,to provide account, 10% will be for reimbursement of any expenses
incured during the curse of the transaction.

There after, I and my family will visit your country for disbursement and
for investment in your country. Therefore to enable the immediate transfer
of this fund to you as arranged, you must apply first to the bank as
relation or next of kin of the deceased indicating your bank name, your bank
account number, your private telephone and fax number for easier and
effective
communication and location where the money will be transfer. Upon receipt of
your reply, I will send to you by fax or email the text of the application.
I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch free
and that you should not entertain any atom of fear as all required
arrangements have been made for the transfer.

Let truth and honesty be our watchword in this transaction while I look
forward to receiving your
immediate response.


Yours faithfully,
David Ephraim

_________________________________________________________________
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