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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: Sunny Louie <s.llouie@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 01:48:00 -0800
Subject: Important Information.


Mr. Sunny Louie
Vice President/Branch Manager
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) USA
Oakland Branch, 401 9th Street
Oakland, CA 94607, USA


Greetings,
I have tried reaching you on the phone severally but no response until last night that a lady picked and informed me that I have been calling a wrong telephone number so I decided to reach you by email today. I will be brief in this message for safety reasons though I would not have used this medium (Internet) if I had reached you through the phone though email is also the fastest, surest and good secured medium of communication. However, this correspondence is un-official and private, and it should be treated as such. I also guarantee you that this transaction is hitch free from all what you may think of.


I am Mr. Sunny Louie, Vice President and Branch Manager, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, (ICBC) Oakland 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, (ICBC) in a recent meeting recommended that the account of LATE ROMAN BLUM, 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. He died in January 2012 at the age of 97 years leaving no heir to this account. 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.theepochtimes.com/n3/34142-roman-blum-no-heirs-to-receive-40-million-fortune-after-death/

OR

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/nyregion/holocaust-survivor-left-an-estate-worth-almost-40-million-but-no-heirs.html?pagewanted=3

LATE ROMAN BLUM own an account in my branch; he owns a dollar account with the sum of US$68.2M (Sixty 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 to the account holder (the brother) nor any relative of his have 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.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 documents and contacts to file the application and then effect the approvals for the transfer of the money, 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. we will use our 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 in future. After the transfer of the money we shall share the money 60-40.that 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. Sunny Louie
Vice President/Branch Manager
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) USA

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