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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: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: <williamsgraig@inbox.lv>
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2017 08:55:01 +0100
Subject: I have urgent and confidential business proposal

 
Attention: Sir
 
I’m Graig Williams an employee of ING BANKbranch here
in Netherlands. I have urgent and very confidential
businessproportion for you. I got your contact from the
World Trade Centre Online Webdirectory here in Netherlands.
In January 2011 a Consultant/Contractor Made anumbered time
(fixed deposited) for twelve calendar months valued
at(USD$3,500,000 million United States Dollars) in a
domiciliary account inmy branch. Upon maturity, I sent a
routine notification of account statues to hisforwarding
address but got no reply, after two months, we sent a
reminder ofsame letter and finally we discovered from his
contact employers, SofimationOy, a Finland Company based in
here in Netherlands that Lewis Andrews Died incar
accident. After further investigation, I found out that he
did notleave a WILL and all attempts to trace next of kin
were fruitless. I thereforemade further investigation and
discovered that he did not declare any Next ofKin in all his
official documents.
 
 
This sum of USD$3,500,000 is still floating in our bank and
the interest isbeing rolled over with the principal sum at
the end of each year. No one wouldcome forward to claim it,
according to Dutch Law, at the expiration of 7 (six)years;
the money will revert to the ownership of the Dutch
government if nobodyapplies to claim these funds. Consequent
upon the above, my proposal is that Iwould like you to
stand in as the Next of Kin
 
 
I will quickly work out the full documentation and change
the nameto yours and transfer of the funds
 
into yournominated account anywhere. We shall discuss
the percentage as soonas I hear from you  Thanks  Graig Williams

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