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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: "Osmund Patrick" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <osmundpatrick@aol.co.uk>
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2017 22:50:09 -0700
Subject: Plse consider

Hello,

Good day to you and your family. I apologize if the content here-under is contrary to your moral ethics but please treat with absolute secrecy and personal consideration. I am an Investment Consultant working with UBS AG Bank Zurich at their offshore department office here in the UK. My name is Osmund Patrick. During one of our recent auditing I discovered a dormant account with holding balance of Eleven Million, Three Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (U$11,300,000.00) only. This is an idle fund deposited in UBS AG Bank Zurich Switzerland, record shows that the fund has been there for long because the owner who is from the United States is dead.

Russian Government will take over the funds soon if we do not apply quickly for the release of the funds. I therefore urge you to give urgent consideration to this offer to stand as the trustee to receive the funds into your bank account and we will share the money 60% for me and 40% for you. Leave the legitimate documentation processes for me to handle. 100% risk and trouble free. It does not matter what job you do, so long as you can provide an active bank account into which the money can be deposited for our mutual benefit, then get back to me ASAP.

If you can handle large or small amount on trust and can keep secret and ready to take 40% of any amount I transfer to your account from the dormant account and I will take 60%, then get back to me immediately with the following details; your full names, address, phone nos. and your bank account information. This money can be transferred in tranches to your bank account. I assure you that this business is risk free, you can send an empty bank account to receive the funds provided that the account is active and can receive incoming funds. Reply urgently via my private email viz. osmundpatrick@aol.co.uk for MORE DETAILS.

Best regards,
Osmund

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