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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: "MARK STEVENSON" <markstevenson9@gala.net>
Reply-To: markstevenson@excite.com
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2008 02:22:03 +0100
Subject: Looking forward to receive your prompt reply.


*Dear friend,

Compliment of the day.

My names are Dr. Mark Stevenson I am the head of Accounts and Audit
Department in one of the first class prime bank in Great Britain . In my
utmost search for a reliable and trusted foreign business partnership in
overseas, I found your dozier in the internet very fascinating and I was
highly elated by your company profile and I won't hesitate to say I have
found the right overseas partnership I have been looking for to handle this
deal on my behalf, hence I pick up interest in doing this business
transaction with you.

Therefore, it will be interesting and amazing to have you as mine overseas
partner hence I offer you this great deal involving a whooping sum of United
state dollars. The funds originally were officially deposited in my bank
Vogt by a Chinese Millionaire who is into exportation of computer soft ware
( name with held) whom was among those who lost their life in the recent
China Earthquake desaster which took place in the month of March this
year.

In our routine monthly management brief meeting in the month of May, the
board of director of my bank has directed my office to look for the relative
of the deceased customer in view to come forward for claims of the deposited
fund. All effort for me and my office to locate the relatives of the
deceased millionaire customer both in the internet and other possible means
to come forward for the claim of the deposited funds has not be able to
yield any result.

Also there was no written will left with my bank by the deceased millionaire
customer so very frustrating for us in locating his immediate family to come
for claims so based on this premise, I ousted to look for a reliable asia
business partnership some with your kind of profile to help me in pulling
out this funds out of my bank before my bank take advantage of the funds.

Having come from the same continet with the deceased millionaire customer
and I being the person in charge, the deal will be done easily without any
problem arising. Havent accepted my offer, I shall put you through the
process of claiming the funds as the deceased millionaire next of kin
(COUSIN).Also, I will release to you all the secret information?s of the
deposited funds and the vital document concerning the transaction to enable
you have proper knowledge of the transaction.

Please rest assured there is no risk involved in this transaction as an
insider, I am fully on the ground here to pave way for things to happened
the way it is planned so no cause for alarm. If this offer is acceptable to
you, please revert back to me immediately with your private phone & fax
numbers where you can be easily reached.Or you can send me a fax or call me
via my private fax no: 0044-870-235-4268 & tell: 0044-702-4070185 for
further discussion. As soon as I have your opinion in this regards, I will
prevail to you the procedure and step by step of the transaction .

Looking forward to receive your prompt reply.

With kind regards,
Dr. Mark Stevenson.*

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