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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: "George Kline" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <george.wkline2@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2018 01:07:29 +0800
Subject: Your Kind Attention is Needed.....

Attention:
 
I am Mr.George Kline, I am the Administrative director at a Vault of a Financial & Security Institute here in South Africa. I am contacting you based on a financial opportunity i discovered here in our bank. Its about an abandoned sum of 45.7m us dollars (Forty Five  million seven hundred thousand united state dollars) in our safety deposit vault, that belongs to one of our foreign customer Mr.Robert,a citizen of your country who died along with his entire family on 11th March 2004 in a ghastly car accident in Cape town.
 
The banking policy can only allow the release of such funds to a benefactor through an application as next of kin to the deceased. After his death, the bank has been expecting a possible beneficiary, but no luck, this institute has exploited all its ethical possibilities in other to contact his possible relation or inheritor, but no success. Since no one has come up since 5yrs ,i have made my own research with the help of a private investigator ,it is my knowledge that this man has been leaving in South Africa for the past 22yrs and has never returned back home. I also learn that his wife and 3year old daughter died with him during this accident. I am 100% sure that no one is aware of the existence of this funds.
 
However, because of the international financial crises and sudden change of government,  a lot of reform has been made within the South African Financial system, this includes the new law on succession/claims which indicates a duration in which such inheritance could be tolerated. The South African Reserve has mandated our institute to release the funds to the possible inheritor, Failure to respond to this ultimatum would legally allow the Reserve Bank confiscate these funds as unclaimed estate (Which of course would go straight to the Government¡¦s pocket)
 
It is therefore upon all this discovery that i have decided to contact you because you share the same last name as the deceased. I want you to know that I am a Director of this office and as an insider ,i am equipped with all classified secret information regarding the release of this funds .I would be dedicated to making sure that I feed you with all possible documentation and information required for the approval and release of these funds.
 
Upon your acceptance to cooperate, I agreed that 40% of this money will be for you, 60%  for me.
 
In conclusion, it¡¦s my concern to demand your ultimate honesty, co-operation and confidentiality to enable us conclude this transaction. I GUARANTEE that this process would be executed under a legitimate arrangement that would legally protect you from any breach of law.
 
Mr.George Kline

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