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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: "George Osborne" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <georgeosborne876@yahoo.com.hk>
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2012 04:56:54 +0200
Subject: URGENT AND IMPORTANT MATTER

URGENT AND IMPORTANT MATTER/Her Majesty
Treasury
The Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Correspondence & Enquiry Unit
2/W1 HM Treasury
1 Horse Guards Road
London
SW1A 2HQ

Attention: Beneficiary,


My name is Mr. George Osborne, The Chancellor of the Exchequer,Correspondence & Inquiry Unit, Her Majesty Treasury Adviser to the Her Majesty Treasury. I'm directed to contact you by the Queen's Counsel to confirm from you, if actually you know one Mr. Fredrick Williams who claim to be your business associate/ partner in London.

The said Mr. Fredrick Williams who claims that you are dead, and that he is the bonafide beneficiary of your funds in our possession. That he will like
to change all the Information that you gave to one of our bank here in London. To avoid what happened in the past, the Queen's Counsel has concluded arrangement through diplomatic means to have this fund delivered to you.

This development is coming now that HM Treasury want to offset all our outstanding payments to all our legal foreign beneficiaries’ around the world
in which your payment file was affected.

As you may know, the total amount in your favor is a total sum of $16.5million U.S Dollars. We need to confirm from you if it's really true that you are
dead. If we do not hear from you, it automatically means that you are actually dead and the information passed to us by Mr. Christopher
Gonzales is correct.

You are to contact me through my email address as soon as you receive this message so as to know the true position of things, by using diplomatic
means. HM Treasury is trying to avoid the mistake of remitting your out-standing payment to a wrong person/account.

Your swift response will help this ministry allot. Do email me with your information below:

1. Full Name:
2. Resident Address:
3. Nationality:
4. Age/Date of Birth:
5. Profession, age and marital status:
6. Your Office; Telephone and fax. Phone:
7. Mobile Telephone:
8. State of Origin: Country:
9. Copy of valid International passport or Drivers
License:
10.Your private email address:

Upon the receipt of this mail kindly send the required information for more directives.

Best Regards,

Mr. George Osborne.
For Queen's Counsel
Her Majesty Treasury.
URGENT

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