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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: "Simon Aldridge" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <simonaldridgelegaladvocates@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2018 12:58:32 -0000
Subject: Proposition

Dear Friend,

My name is Barrister Simon Aldridge, of Simon Aldridge legal Advocates, Attorney-at-law; actually I got your contact information through your state Public Record while searching for a last name similar to my late client's name, a business tycoon who lived in Europe for over Twenty-One years; Oil & Gas trader,who was my client, he died as a result of lung cancer.

However the circumstances and urgency of this claim have prompted me to send you this unsolicited email, which I humbly apologize for.

Now I am solociting to present you as the next of kin and the beneficiary to the vault of my late client? Since you are bearing the same surname with him.

Honestly, Before his demised; He deposited a vault worth $10.2 (TEN MILLION, TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND US DOLLARS) with a security Firm here in Europe.

As the attorney to the late client, the security Firm has mandated me to present the next beneficiary to the vault (heir/inheritor) to make the claims or the vault will be confiscated and taken to the Bureau as unclaimed.

Therefore on this brief notice kindly Get back to me for more details and you will be glad you did.

Kind Regards,
Barrister Simon Aldridge

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