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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: "Jean-Jacque" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <hopemessage1@naver.com>
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2023 09:17:06 -0700
Subject: From:Jean-Jacque ELD

Hello, Good day,
 
Please bear with me over this unexpected message from me to you as it is after a very deep considerable thoughts that one has to take a risk to confide in someone to succeed sometime in life, therefore I hope with this explanation you will understand better my purpose of contacting you. Please read carefully and patiently.
 
In June 2015, one of our foreign customers made a Fixed deposit for 36 calendar months, valued at US$35,500,000.00 in our bank where l am head of accounts department. Upon maturity, I sent a routine notification to his forwarding address but got no reply. After waiting several months, we sent a reminder and finally discovered from his contract employers that he and his family died in a plane crash.
 
On further investigation, I found out that he died without leaving a WILL and all attempts to trace extended members of his family were never successful. I therefore made further investigation and discovered that he did not declare any next of kin or relation in all his official documents in his Bank Deposit paperwork at my Bank.
His money (US$35,500,000.00 ) has been floating as unclaimed since maturity and all efforts to get his relatives have proved unsuccessful. According to our banking policy, if such money continues to remain unclaimed, the money will be passed to the coffers of the Central bank treasury unclaimed bill.
 
It's been many years now and nobody has shown up for the money. My proposal to you is that l want you to cooperate with me to enable us to claim the money so we can both use it for investment . I will put all the necessary documents together to make you the next of kin so that the money will be paid to you. I have secured from the probate court an order of mandamus to locate any family member of the deceased so that the money can be paid to him or her, but still no success.
 
If you agree to cooperate with me, after successful execution of this deal, we shall share the money in percentage of 50/50. I assure you that this deal is 100% risk free, you don't have to fear anything as l am a professional in Real Estate Banking / Family Wealth If you are interested in engaging in this deal, please respond in earliest upon reception of this message so I can confidently explain to you more
 
Thank you.
Sincerely yours,
Jean-Jacque

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