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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: MR GORDON CHEN <apostle101@sbcglobal.net>
Reply-To: gorden.chen@ymail.com
Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2010 18:07:55 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: GREETING FRIEND




Mr. Gordon Chen San Gabriel Branch 
168 West Valley Boulevard,
San Gabriel, CA 91776, USA
Greetings Friend,

You may wonder why I am reaching out to you in spite of friends that I have known for years, the singular reason is that I have by the very nature of this proposition and the required confidentiality decided to deal with a person that I have not known before so that we can develop the trust and execute this transaction without a third person knowing.
 
I would not have used this medium (Internet) but I chose to reach you through it because it is the fastest, surest and most secured medium of communication.However, this correspondence is nu-official and private, and it should be treated as such. I also guarantee you that this transaction is hitch free fromall what you may think of.
 
I am Mr. Gorden Chen  of The Bank of East Asia USA, San Gabriel Branch,California (USA) I am contacting you based on Trust and confidentiality that will be attached to this transaction. The Management and the Legal department of our bank in a recent meeting recommended that the account of MR. DAVIDANGELL, who was one of my branch depositors, should be declared Dormant,confiscated and the depositor's fund sent to the Bank Treasury according to American Banking and financial law.  Mr. David Angell and the wife died in world trade center as a victim of the September 11, 2001 incident that befell the United States of America. The bank has made series of efforts to contact any of the relatives to claim this money but without success, you can confirm through this site:

http://www.biography.com/profiles-of-9-11/profiles911.jsp
 
MR. DAVID ANGELL is an account holder in my branch; he owns a dollar account with the sum of 58.2M (Fifty Eight Million, two Hundred Thousand United States Dollars Only) deposited in a Secret account with my branch .In fact, since his death, no next of kin of the account holder nor any relative of him has shown up for the claim, this is because he has the account as a secret account thus he left all the documents for the deposit with me. The wife whom he signed in as his next of kin died
with him on that fateful and sad day.
 
This is where I am interested and where I want you to come in. I want you to come in as the relation of the deceased; I will give you the relevant document sand contacts to file the application and then effect the approvals for the transfer of the funds, I will be the one to provide the vital documents for the claims of the money and then advise you exactly how we should handle it.
 
 Please include your telephone/fax number/ Home address when replying this mail and I will give you more information as soon as you indicate your willingness to assist in this transaction. I will use my positions to get all internal documentations to back up the claims. Do not be bothered that you are not related in any way to him as I am in position to affix your name as the next of kin. The whole Procedures will last only 9 working days to get the fund retrieved successfully without trace even in future. After the transfer of the money we shall share the money 60-40, which is I will have 60% while you will have 40%.
 
 Kindly respond promptly so that I can advice you on the next step to follow.
 
 I will be waiting to hear from you.
 
Yours truly,
Mr. Gordon Chen
San Gabriel Branch 
168 West Valley Boulevard,
San Gabriel, CA 91776, USA    

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