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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: "christian kelly" <christian.kelly@klikni.cz>
Date: Mon, 26 May 2008 09:56:48 +0200
Subject: PLEASS I NEED YOUR URGENT REPLY


Mr Eneke Butego Chief Auditor .
Bank of Africa Head office Corporate
Audit Department.
06 BP 1409 dpakpa godomey,
Lome Togo Republic.
Date:10/5/2008

Dear G.J.W.M. van Vuuren,

My name is Mr.Eneke Butego , an audit officer in Africa Bank LOME TOGO.
I am writing to you following an opportunity in my office that will be of
immense benefit to both of us. In my department we discovered an abandoned
sum of 5.5 Million Euros (Five Million Five Hundred thousand Euros) in an
account that belong to one of our foreign customers Late Engineer.Vuuren,an
American who unfortunately lost his life on a TAM airlines commercial jet
crashed in Sao Paulo, Tuesday, July 17, 2007 and burst into flames after
skidding off a runway and barreling across a busy highway. All 176 people on
board were feared dead in what would be Brazil's deadliest air disaster, and
at least 15 were killed on the ground.You can read more about the crash by
visiting this site which I got during my investigation, please try to go
through the site.

http://chinadaily.com.cn/world/2007-07/18/content_5438453.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/gallery/070718/GAL-07Jul18-81840/index.html

Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of
kin or relatives to come over 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. Unfortunately I learnt that his
supposed next of kin being his only adopted daughter died along with him in
the plane crash leaving nobody with the knowledge of this fund behind for
the claim.

It is therefore upon this discovery that I and two other officials in this
department now decided to make business with you and release the money to
you as the next of kin or beneficiary of the funds for safe keeping and
subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it.

We don't want this money to go back into Government treasury as unclaimed
bill,because our banking law and guidelines here stipulates that if such
money remains unclaimed before the middle of this year,the money will be
transferred into banking treasury as unclaimed funds. We agreed that some %
of this money will be for you as foreign partner, while the balance will be
for my colleagues and me. I will visit your country for the disbursement
according to the percentages indicated above once this money gets into your
hands and please be honest with me.

This transaction is confidential and as soon as you receive this message,
you should contact me immediately and please note that all necessary
arrangement for smooth release of these funds to your bank account has been
finalized.

The board of directors of this bank and the Government of Togo will
confiscate this account and thereby declear the fund a lost money without
claim by the middle of this year,citing the non operational of the dormant
account since the death of late Engineer Vuuren.
I therefore seek your consent to present you here as the Next of Kin to the
deceased since you are at an advantage to receive these money,being a
foreigner.

We will discuss much in details when I do receive your response and call me
on 00228 9153066 after sending an email to my private email
address:christian.kelly78@yahoo.co.uk<address%3Achristian.kelly78@yahoo.co.uk>

Thanks and waiting for your urgent response.
Regards,
Mr Eneke Butego
Reply to this private email
address:christian.kelly78@yahoo.co.uk<address%3Achristian.kelly78@yahoo.co.uk>

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