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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: "William John" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <john_wiilliams@mynet.com>
Date: Sun, 16 May 2010 17:42:48 +0100
Subject: CAN YOU DO THIS??

Hello.

I am Barrister John William, lawyer to late Thomas McCulloch of
Durango,Colorado who lost his life in a plane crash involving Egypt Air Flight
990,including his wife and only daughter.He was one of the state's most
prominent native and business leader. All these you are very free to verify
from the web link below for more information and clarification about his
socio-economic status until his death.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/502503.stm

Before the demise of my client, he disclosed to me his account status,which
amounted to $3.8usd(Three Million Eight Hundred Thousand America Dollars). He
also handed over to me some vital copies of documents regarding this fund
already trapped at finance house in EUROPE I have made thorough inquiries
about his relatives but,discovered no one really knows about this fund
currently sited at EUROPE.Since then, I have made successive attempts to get
his next of kin or relative to come forth and claim this fund but to no avail.

As personal lawyer to my late client, I cannot in any way claim it unless
someone overseas does so. Just two weeks ago, I received a routine
notification from the finance house concerning this fund, and the officials of
this firm issued a warning, stressing the urgency for late Mr.Thomas
McCulloch's relative or next of kin to come forward to claim this fund
immediately or they will have it confiscated and forwarded to the nation's
treasury account as an unclaimed fund. This is the agreement they have reached
at the company and they also reiterated that this is according to the company
guidelines.

MY REQUEST;

Owing to the fact that his daughter whom should have stand a better chance of
claiming this fund, also perished in that fatal air crash,I want you to stand
in as the next of kin to late Mr. Thomas McCulloch.Like I earlier asserted,I
have in my possession the necessary documents that will enable me to place you
in,as the right beneficiary to my late client's fund in this firm.Be informed
that upon successful transfer of this money into your account,you shall have
35% of it as your share. I must remind you that trust and transparency must be
our watchword in the course of this transaction.

Required Details
Full Name:
Full Address:
Phone Number
Age:
Sex:

I look forward to receiving your reply soon.

Yours sincerely,
Barrister John William.


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