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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

 

 

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. George Baldwin Jnr." <arthulrmorgan@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2022 05:37:02 +0100
Subject: RE: CONFIDENTIAL INVESTMENT WITH YOU IN YOUR COUNTRY


Dear friend, greetings as I wish you good health, wealth and happiness in
this new year. Honestly I am not comfortable contacting you first by email
instead of meeting with you or by a certified post-mail and this is due to
the abuse of the internet and social media by criminals. But because of the
urgency of this letter and being the fastest way to reach you, I contact
you hoping that you will not classify me as such. Although we have not met
before, I got your contact from your country's online page and after
inquiries, I decided to reach you based on the recommendation that you are
a credible, trustworthy and hardworking person. You may as well tell me a
little more about yourself. I'm Mr. George Baldwin from England, CEO of
Legend Enterprises Ltd UK, a trade and consulting establishment. I ventured
into politics and in a slightly beleaguered political situation hence the
need for absolute confidentiality for now. I have studied your country's
investment opportunities, political stability, secure economic policies,
dependable investment infrastructures, stable and buoyant economy and above
all, the traditional hospitality of your people and I want to inquire if I
can relocate my family to your country and confidentially invest the sum of
GBP£9.7million through you in long-term into any viable and low-risk
business that you can recommend that can generate up to 12% annual return
on investment. This fund is 100% clean, and not connected with any illegal
activity.You will be my investment manager and partner and it will be a
joint business between us after we reach a mutual understanding. If you
think you cannot manage all the fund value on my behalf on new investments,
let me know if part of it or the whole can be injected into your
establishment if your by-law allows foreign direct investment or a direct
loan on soft repayment terms. I prefer investment in agriculture, tourism,
real estate or healthcare but I will rely on your advice for us to proceed.
Since this cannot be completed on email communication alone, there is the
need for a face to face meeting and detailed discussions that would boost
our confidence and clear all doubts and fears before we start investment, I
will meet with you in your country as soon as everything is completed here
in England and the fund moved to your country. This will enable me to
personally monitor all official processes, especially the fund approvals
and documentation needed for the safe transfer of the funds to your country
before my arrival. I will give you 5% as commission if you can honestly and
confidentially cooperate with me to achieve this project soon. You will
agree with me that this requires mutual trust, honesty and understanding
for us to achieve success.

No doubt you may be sceptical towards this letter due to the abuse of the
internet and social media by criminals, or your past experience and that is
well understood. I am aware that the internet is awash with bogus business
offers which you may have received one and makes it difficult to trust
anyone. I also receive them and I advise people to beware and verify before
engaging with anyone because many are mere scams. People should also report
to the appropriate authority for necessary action towards curbing internet
crime. Let me assure you again that I am not part of it as I have my
hard-earned name and integrity to protect. To prove to you that this is a
genuine business contact, I will provide you with verifiable proof of my
fund in the bank here in England and if you need any more clarification to
assure yourself that this is not just a hoax that exists on the Internet
and it is 100% genuine, safe, risk-free and legal both now and in future,
kindly let me know and I will make that available to you immediately. On
the other hand, if I need any information to reassure myself that I am in
safe hands, I will demand it from you trusting that you will oblige me. If
you don't want to work with me, kindly delete this mail and I will not
contact you again so I can seek someone else. But if you give me the
benefit of doubt and work with me despite any negative advice from your
side, I assure you that I will prove a point to you. Due to my need to
relocate my family to your country, I want to know if you could assist me
and find a good home preferably, a 6 bedroom property for my purchase. If
you think we can work together, let me know your thoughts, questions, your
investment plan, terms and conditions, and if it is possible to get my
money back in 12 years while the investment still runs. Contact me on my
email: baldwingeorge@contractor.net or georgebaldwin@mail.com and kindly
indicate your email and telephone numbers so that I could call you. Thanks
for your time and attention as I wish you a wholesome day, Regards.
-----------------------------
If you received this letter in your spam/junk folder, it is due to your ISP
implemented restrictions, Kindly return to your inbox and reply urgently.
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