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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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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.

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

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Fraud email example:

From: "Mark Shaw." <mm1shw@netscape.net> (may be fake)
Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2005 19:11:53 -0700
Subject: HELLO!

Good day,

With warm heart I offer my friendship and greetings. I hope this mail
meets you in good time. However strange or surprising this contact might
seem to you as we have not met personally or had any dealings in the
past, I humbly ask that you take due consideration of its importance and
immense benefits.I duly apologize for infringing on your privacy if this
proposal is not acceptable to you.

First and foremost, I wish to introduce myself properly to you. I am
Mr.Mark Shaw, the son of the former Liberia finance minister (Mr.
Emmanuel Shaw) under the past government of Charles Taylor. I presume you
are aware of the political crisis in my country which affected my
father's health. At the end of Charles Taylor's regime,he was exiled to
Nigeria where he currently resides.Majority of his officers including
ministers like my father, are having their accounts frozen by the present
government because they were uncomfortable with the past regime. We then
jointly decided within the family to relocate the family funds outside
Liberia for investmest.

I am contacting you because of a good friend of my father (Dr.Thomas Clark) who visited
your country sometime ago and told my family about your country.

Following the above reasons, I have been subsequently advised by my
father to go abroad to invest his money. So, I am soliciting for your
co-operation and confidential assistance to take custody of Fourteen
million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (US$14.500.000). And also
to front for me in areas of business which you desire profitable. Left
alone, this would prove extremely difficult if not impossible because
of the bureaucratic nature of the western world. To show my preparedness
and appreciation to conduct this business with you, I shall give you
15% of the total funds and 5% commission on any profit that we might
realise in the process of investing the funds. 5% shall be set aside for
any eventual cost that may occur in the process of this transaction.

Please, I need your entire support and co-operation for the success of
this business venture,and also your utmost confidentiality.
Be rest assured that,this is absolutely safe with no risk involved. I
do hope my proposal is acceptable to you.

You can reach me through this e-mail address: mm1shw@netscape.net.

Thank you for your Anticipated Co-operation as we await your prompt
response.

God Bless.

Best regards,
Mark Shaw.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam