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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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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:
  • "transaction is risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • omarbongo@myway.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Omar Bongo" <omar_bongo@msn.com>
Reply-To: omarbongo@myway.com
Date: Sun, 19 Nov 2006 11:12:30 +0000
Subject: FROM MR. OMAR BONGO

FROM MR. OMAR BONGO
WEMA BANK PLC.
VICTORIA ISLAND.
LAGOS-NIGERIA.

Invitation to act as Next-of-Kin:

First, I must solicit your confidence in this ransaction;this is by virture
of its nature as being CONFIDENTIAL and TOP SECRET. Although I knew that a
transaction of this magnitude will make any one apprehensive but I am
assuring that all will be well .I am Mr.Omar Bongo, Deputy General
Manager, (Credit Controls) with Wema Bank Plc in Lagos Nigeria. On the
November 2003, my client (Engr.David Chang)and his entire family died in a
plane crash in cotonou, Benin republic.You will read more stories about the
crash on visiting this website:
www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/12/26/benin.crash/

My purpose of contacting you is to assist in repatriating the fund left
behind by my client prior to his death before they get confiscated or
declared unserviceable by my bank, where the deceased had an account
valued at about US$7.5million. The bank had issued me a notice as the
account officer to provide the next of kin or have the account
confiscated within the next 25 official working days. Since I have been
unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over one year, now I seek your
consent as the next of kin of the deceased so that the proceeds of this
account valued at US$7.5million can be paid to you any of your ominated
account as next of kin/benenficiary to my client.

I have secured from the probate registry an order of mandamus to locate any
of the deceased beneficiary and more so, I am assuring you that this
transaction is risk free. Once the fund is moved to your nominated
account, you will be entitle to 35% of the total sum. Your share stays while
10% out of the total money will be set aside to defray all incidental
expenses both locally and internationally during the cause of this
transaction. The rest thereafter will be for me and some people I will
settle here to enable them facilitate the process of approval and subsequent
release of the fund.

Apart from your percentage,you will be entitled to substantial part from my
percentage, in trust for investment. As soon as I receive your acceptance in
principle, I will furnish you with the necessary modalities
for commencement.

Finally, I am relying in my confidence in you, having opened up to you, to
forward your contact address,tel/fax number to enable us commence
immediately.

Yours Faithfully,
Mr.Omar Bongo.

NB:PLease treat very confidential and do send a copy of your response
to omarbongo@myway.com.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam