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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: "Alexandre Sanou" <sanoualexandre@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:01:35 +0000
Subject: REPLY URGENT


Manager, Accounts and Records Dept.
African Development Bank
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso,
West Africa.

Dear Sir,

I am pleased to write and introduce myself as the above director in charge
of records and accounts of this banking institution.

My reason of writing this letter to you is in connection with a very
lucrative business at hand which i believe that you might be interested in
doing with me. I write without the least intention of bringing any
embarrassments to you, this is no joke so please treat every line of it with
utmost seriousness. Trusting in your good intention to elevate your social
standard ,i therefore ask you to read my letter very carefully before
throwing it into the dust bin or replying to me.

Firstly, I like to solicit your confidentiality for a nondisclosure of any
part of the contents of this letter which if you do will automatically ruins
all our efforts to achieve success . I am assuring you that I have good
faith in this business and will be of mutual benefit to both of us as long
as we maintain strict confidentiality of the business and do not develop
ideas of dishonesty towards each other when money is on the table.

i am writing this letter to ask for your favor to assist me to carry out a
business venture with my good self. I work in a very sensitive department of
the above bank where I watch peoples banking records and account on a daily
basis. In my line of duty, i have been watching a very huge sums of money
which have been lying dormant since the year 2000 against banking laws .the
sum is (US$28m .("Twenty Eight Million United State Dollars ),this amount is
in our bank's vault; money that once belong to one Asia American minerals
business dealer who was assassinated along with his wife in their hotel
suite at Katanga in the democratic republic of Congo where he and his wife
were on a business trip to buy diamonds from the local rebel traders.

The dead couples does not seem to have any known family left behind to claim
their money under this circumstance. they had lived in Africa for 23 years;
they may have lost their parental background contact and family connections.


Since we heard of his death, we have been expecting a next-of-kin to come
over to put forward his/her claims as the beneficiary to the deceased man's
funds. however, this has not happened and no one has since come forward or
even wrote a letter to us to lay claim on the millions laying idle in our
bank without any identified living owner and this fund by law should be soon
transferred to the central bank for the use of government, unless someone
apply officially to claim this sum as the next-of-kin .

I am willing to give 30% to the foreign partner and additional 10% for all
his minor expenses with your lawyer who shall by law represent you in
signing all documents during the processing of the said amount to your bank
account. take note that while the transfer will be in progress, we cannot
take out a single cent from that amount or authorize the bank to pay any
person from the said amount until the full transfer has been done and
proceeds sent directly to your nominated bank account.
You shall therefore have to find the means to settle your bills with your
lawyer until you receive the money. I hope that this will be viewed in the
context of a fair deal agreeable to both of us in the business.

Please, indicate your interest to be my partner in this business if you
will, in your reply to this letter, i will then send you a text of
application letter to apply as the legal next of kin of this money; a text
that you will fill in the blanks and submit to the appropriate banking
departments of the above bank for necessary commencement of this transaction
in an email address of the bank that I will sent to you.

Any question paper that the bank shall send to you must be forwarded to me
immediately so that I can fill it my selves to avoid mistakes.

I look forward to receiving your prompt response and thanks for your
cooperation.
Best regard,
Alexandre Sanou

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