419 scam: "Mr. Patrick Agbandu" <pagbandu12@gmail.com> Dear Good Friend

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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:

This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "million united states dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. Patrick Agbandu" <pagbandu12@gmail.com>
Reply-To: patrickagbandu@hotmail.com
Date: Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:35:05 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Dear Good Friend

Dear Good Friend,

I am Mr. Patrick Agbandu. A Branch Manager of Spring Bank Plc. I got your contact during my search for the relatives of one of our foreign customers Late Mr. Ente Clark an expatriate who works with Oil Company here in Nigeria before his accidental death on Friday, the 9th day of Dec. 2005 via Ill-fated Sosoliso Air Crash.

During our bank routine check, we discovered the sum of ($24M USD) Twenty Four Million United States Dollars in a domiciliary account which belong to the late decease and our bank is planning to freeze his account now and transfer his money to Federal Government account as unclaimed bill as nobody comes up to claim his money. And I don't want to loose this money as this will be an opportunity for both of us to make money. I now want to transfer this money to you for safekeeping/disbursement. The request of a foreigner to stand as a next of kin is that the late decease was a foreigner and a Nigerian cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner. I am ready to negotiate the mode of sharing with you.

I want to assure you that this transaction is 100% legitimate and hitch free. All I needed from you is your honesty, sincerity, co-operation and assurance to me that my own share will be release to me after the transfer of this fund to you. Due to the nature of this transaction, you have to keep this transaction absolute secret/confidential. Do not tell anybody about this transaction till we get this money into your account. I have concluded the whole arrangement for the immediate transfer of this money to you.

Trusting to hear from you immediately to enable us proceed further.

Thanks and yours sincerely,
Mr. Patrick Agbandu.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam