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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: "Roberto Orts" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <roborts20@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 5 Oct 2017 09:44:36 -0700
Subject: kindly get back to me

Dear Maddam/Sir,

It may surprise you receiving this letter from me since there was no previous correspondence between us. Let me start by first introducing myself properly to you, my name is Roberto Orts, (Spanish Lawyer) a personal Attorney to Late Mr. Frank Membrey, an expatriate engineer who has worked with the Mining and Smelting Company (Austrian de Zinc S.A. Spain).

My purpose of contacting you is for you to help secure a cash deposit left behind by my late client, to avoid it being confiscated or declared unserviceable by the Bank. The sum of $8,750, 000.00 (Eight Million, Seven Hundred And Fifty Thousand US Dollars) was deposited by my late client before he passed away, after living in Spain for over a decade prior to his death. On the 20th of August 2008, Late Mr. Frank, his wife and their only son were involved in a plane crash in Madrid. All passengers and board crews of the Flight unfortunately lost their lives . Since then I have made several enquiries to his Embassy to locate any of my clients extended relatives but all efforts was unsuccessful. After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to contact you and solicit for your assistance as a foreigner to execute the claim of this fund since your share the surname and from the same country as my client.

Though I know that a transaction of this magnitude will make any one apprehensive and worried, but there is nothing really to worry about because all relevant documents and information as regards to the cash deposit is in my possession, therefore I guarantee the success of this transaction in all legal definitions. As the attorney to the Deceased I have contacted the bank for the claim of the fund and the Bank has issued me a notice to contact the next of kin or the account will be declared unserviceable and the fund will be retired by the state (Ayuntamiento de Madrid)

Since this account is secret and there is no one left to claim the fund, I am actually asking for your consent to present you to the Spanish Bank as the Next of Kin/beneficiary of my late client's fund, so that the fund will be released to you as his next of kin. All the legal documents to back up your claim as my client's next of Kin are with me. All I require is your honest cooperation and absolute confidentiality in order to guarantee success.

I wish to point out that I want 10% of this money to be shared among the Charity Organization of your choice, while the remaining 90% is shared equally between us. This transaction is entirely risk free. I will use my position as the client’s personal attorney to guarantee the successful execution of this transaction. If you are interested, please contact me via Tel: +34-692-877-666. E-mail: roborts19@consultant.com upon your response, I shall then provide you with more details that will help you understand more on this transaction.

The intended transaction will be processed under legitimacy, which will protect me and you from any violation of law.
If you wish to achieve the goal with me, please kindly get back to me only through this E-mail: roborts19@consultant.com with your interest for further explanations and better understanding. Also be kind to let me know if you are not interested so that I can further my search to another Citizen that has the same surname as my late client.

Kindest Regard,

Roberto Orts.

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