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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "trunk box" (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)
  • "trunk boxes" (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)
  • "million united states dollars" (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)
  • "god fearing " (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
• 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.
  • su_aseidu@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: suaseidu12@zipmail.com.br
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 10:12:14 +0000
Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?PLEASE=20I=20NEED=20YOUR=20ASSITANCE=2CFROM=20SUCCESS=20ASEIDU=2E?=

DEAR FRIEND,
COMPLIMENT OF THE SEASON
HOW ARE YOU TODAY, I HOPE ALL IS FINE. PLEASE PERMIT ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF
TO YOU.MY NAME IS SUCCESS ASEIDU ,I AM 21YEARS OF AGE AND I JUST FINISHED
WITH MY SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL WAITING FOR MY RESULTS SO THAT I COULD GO
TO A UNIVERSITY ABROAD TO CONTINUE WITH MY EDUCATION,WHEN THE CRISIS STARTED
IN MY COUNTRY WHICH LATER ENDED UP IN A WAR.
DURING THIS TERRIBLE PERIOD ,A LOT OF INNOCENT PEOPLE WERE KILLED BY THE
REBELS,HOUSES WERE BURNED AND MOST PEOPLE HAD TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES TO FIND
A SAFER PLACE WHEN THE SITUATION WAS GETTING HOTTER,MY FATHER BROUGHT ME
HERE TO GHANA TO STAY WITH HIS OLD TIME FRIEND WHO IS A PALM WINE TRAPPER
,SO THAT HE COULD GO BACK TO FREETOWN,SIERRA LEONE TO FINISH UP WITH HIS
TRANSACTIONS BECAUSE HE IS A MAJOR EXPORTER OF COCOA AND RUBBER IN SIERRA
LEONE,THEN AFTER WHICH WE WILL TRAVEL ABROAD. ONE DAY.I WAS WITH THE FARMER
IN HIS HOUSE WATCHING THE AFRICAN NEWS WHEN SUDDENLY I HEARD MY FATHER'S
NAME MENTIONED, HIS NAME WAS ANNOUNCED AS AMONG THE FOUR PEOPLE THAT WAS
SHOT BY THE REBELS ON THE RANDALL STREET IN FREETOWN, THE CAPITAL OF SIERRA
LEONE.



I COULD NOT BELIEVE, IT WAS LIKE A DREAM NOT UNTIL HE WAS SHOWN ON THE SCREEN
OF THE TELEVISION IT WAS SHOCKING TO ME, BECAUSE MY FATHER WAS THE ONLY
PERSON I HAD,I CRIED AND CRIED BUT THE FARMER CONSOLED ME. THE NEXT DAY
HE CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THAT EVEN IF MY FATHER IS DEAD,HE HAS LEFT A GOOD
INHERITANCE FOR ME,SO HE WENT TO HIS ROOM AND BROUGHT OUT A BROWN ENVELOP
SEALED.I OPENED IT AND FOUND A LETTER AND A DOCUMENT, GOING THROUGH THE
LETTER AND THE DOCUMENT, I FOUND OUT THAT MY LATE FATHER DEPOSITED 2 TRUNK
BOXES CONTAINING FIFTEEN MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS EACH IN THE 2 TRUNK
BOXES WITH GOLD/DIAMOND WHICH WAS DEPOSITED IN A PRIVATE SECURITY COMPANY
HERE IN GHANA. WHEN I READ THE DOCUMNET,MY FATHER LEFT AND INSTRUCTION THAT
I SHOULD NOT GO TO THE SECURITY COMPANY ALONE UNLESS I SEEK FOR A GOD FEARING
FOREIGN PARTNER IN A COUNTRY OF MY CHOICE WHO WILL HELP ME AND MAKE THE
CLAIM ON MY BEHALF,AND USE IT FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSES,SUCH AS REAL ESTATE
MANAGEMENT.I AM HONOURABLE SEEKING YOUR ASSISTANCE IN THE FOLLOWING WAY,TO
ACT AS MY FOREIGN PARTNER SO THAT THE 2 TRUNK BOXES
CAN BE CLAIMED FROM THE SECURITY COMPANY AND TRANSFERED TO YOUR
COUNTRY.
MOREOVER,I AM WILLING TO OFFER YOU 15% OF THE SUM AS COMPENSATION FOR ERRORT
INPUT AFTER THE SUCESSFUL CLAIM OF THIS 2 TRUNK BOXES TO YOUR COUNTRY. THANKS
AND GOD BLESS.
YOU CAN REACH ME THROUGH THIS EMAIL ADDRESS su_aseidu@yahoo.com
BEST REGARDS,
SUCCESS ASEIDU

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam