419 scam: "CHARLES DONOVAN."<info@barrister.com> ATTN: C. E O

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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:

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:
- "because it still remains the fastest medium of communication" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
- "barr." (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.

Fraud email example:

From: "CHARLES DONOVAN." (may be fake)
Reply-To: <agentsamoliver@aol.com>
Date: Wed, 2 May 2012 20:02:30 +0100
Subject: ATTN: C. E O

Good Day,

I believe that success depends on the support of other people. The only hurdle between you and what you want to be is the support of others. Unexpected sources of help come from unpredictable quarters to the person who remain positive and enthusiastic. Therefore, I want to trust you even as I never saw you before, hoping that you will be trustworthy in this transaction. Trust is an important factor in any business development. Though, the internet has been greatly abused by bad fraudulent persons. I chose to reach you through it because it still remains the fastest medium of communication. However, this correspondence is unofficial and private, and it should be treated as such. I also guarantee you that this transaction is hitch free from all legal implication and it is not a scam.

Please kindly accept my apology for sending unsolicited mail to you. I believe you are a highly respected personality, considering the fact that I sourced your profile from a human resource profile database on your country. Though, I do not know to what extent you are familiar with events.

I am Barrister CHARLES DONOVAN (ESQ),I have a vital information about an unclaimed fund under my custody,Please get back to me with your complete data if interested, as i shall provide to you all necessary claim documents of this fund.Please fill free to contact me for more details.

Yours sincerely,
Barr.CHARLES DONOVAN.(ESQ)
For: Principal Attorney

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam