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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: "Mr.Tan Kian" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <tankian@homemail.com>
Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2011 16:05:56 +0530
Subject: From: Mr.Tan Kian

From: Mr.Tan Kian

Dear Friend,

I am Mr.Tan Kian Principal Assurance manager for the Nanyang Bank in China. I am getting in touch with
you regarding the estate of Our client and an investment placed under our banks management 8 years
ago.

I would respectfully request that you keep the contents of this mail confidential and respect the integrity
of the information you come by as a result of this mail. I contact you independently and no one is informed
of this communication. In 2000, the subject matter; Our client came to our bank to engage in business
discussions with our private banking division. He informed us that he had a financial portfolio of 18.5 million
United States dollars, which he wished to have us invest on his behalf.

Based on my advice, we spun the money around various opportunities and made attractive margins for our
first months of operation, the accrued profit and interest stood at this point at over 10 million United States
Dollars. In mid 2002, he instructed that the principal sum ($18.5M) be liquidated because he needed to
make an urgent investment requiring cash payments in Hong Kong and China. We got in touch with a
specialist bank in China, the Guangdong Development Bank (GDB) who agreed to receive this money for a
fee and make cash available to Our client. However Guangdong Development Bank got in touch with us last
year that this money has not been claimed. On further enquiries we found out that Our client was involved in
an accident in Mainland China, which means he died intestate. He has no next of kin and the reason I am
writing you is because you are namesakes.

What I propose is that since I have exclusive access to his file, you will be made the beneficiary of these
funds. My bank will contact you informing you that money has been willed to you. On verification, which
will be the details I make available to my bank, my bank will instruct GDB to make payments to you. You
do not have to have known him. I know this might be a bit heavy for you but please trust me on this. For
all your troubles I propose that we split the money in half. In the banking circle this happens every time.
The other option is that the money will revert back to the state.

Nobody is getting hurt; this is a lifetime opportunity for us. I hold the KEY to these funds, and as a Chinese
National we see so much cash and funds being re-assigned daily. I would want us to keep communication
for now strictly by the below telephone and email address: tankianbk@yahoo.com.hk

Please, again, note I am a family man; I have a wife and children. I send you this mail not without a measure
of fear as to the consequences, but I know within me that nothing ventured is nothing gained and that
success and riches never come easy or on a platter of gold. This is the one truth I have learned from my
private banking clients. Do not betray my confidence. If we can be of one accord, we should act swiftly
on this. Please pardon my writing mistakes.

I await your response.

Mr.Tan Kian.

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