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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

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

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "a security company " (this will cost you money - that's what the scam is about)
  • "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "huge amount of money" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
  • "former president of liberia" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
  • "monrovia" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
  • "liberia" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
  • willprobyn@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: william4ever@zipmail.com.br
Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 23:08:56 +0200
Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?letter=20from=20the=20family=20of=20dr=20probyn?=

Dear Sir.

I am very sorry to contact you in this manner, because I got your contact
when am searching for a reliable person from the Ghana business directory
here in Ghana, that is how I come across you to assist me and my mother
to help us to stand as our foreign beneficiary to get our funds out of Ghana,
deposited in a security company in Accra Ghana by my late father. But I
respectfully insist that you read this mail carefully for GOD sake.

I am a citizen of Liberia the first son of the late former Prime Minister
of land, Mines and Energy Dr. Siaka Probyn who was killed by rebels during
presidential problem in my country Liberia Before my Father's death he made
my mother to understand that he deposited some huge amount of money which
he Made from sales of diamond and gold business in Liberia and he give my
mother all relevant document of the consignment Which deposited (marked)
as family belonging.

I and my mother were able to move out from Monrovia, Liberia through the
UNITED NATION RESCUE TEAM, that Coven refugee from Monrovia the capital
city of Liberia to Accra Ghana, as a refugee. My Biological Father left
behind physical cash of "eleven Million United State Dollars" (11 Million
US Dollar) which he safely lodged in a Security Company in Accra Ghana,
during his regime in the office, as a prime minister.

I am hereby soliciting your assistance to be my foreign partner and adviser
because:

I do not know much about investment or how to move this funds out of Africa
that is why we need your assistance as a foreign partner to help us to
move this funds out of Africa for a better investment in your country because
I am just 23yrs old While my mother is 59yrs old and we are refugees in
Ghana we are also hiding our identity because nobody knows about this funds
here in Ghana and presently the former president of Liberia president Charles
Taylor is facing tribunal case in a country called Sierra Leone, according
to my mother my late father work with this man when he was alive so if you
are interested kindly keep this transaction very confidential and secret
for the safety of our lives here in Ghana and we agreed to give you "Twenty
Percent" of the total sum of the funds inside the consignment box, your
compensation for the assistance is negotiable while "Two Percent" of the
whole sum will be mapped out for any expenses insure during the process
of this transaction.

After the success of this transaction you are going to make arrangement
for my mother and I to meet you over in your country for investment of
the funds or before you agree to assist us to stand as my foreign partner
for you to know am not joking kindly make trip to come to meet me in Ghana
in person face to face, so that you and I can go to the security company
as my late father foreign business partner who wants to help us to make
the claim of the funds deposited in Ghana as family belongings by my late
father, I know We have never meet before and this mail will come to you
as a surprise, but I want you to know to understand that i have faith in
you regarding this transaction, please do not let me down when this fund
finally gets into your account, if you agree to assist us.

kindly get back to me through my email address willprobyn@yahoo.com with
more details about you if you are interested to be my life partner so as
to enable me feed you with more details and send you all necessary documentations
which are involved in this transaction.


Regards

William Probyn

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam