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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:
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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:
  • ",500,000" (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)
  • "00,000.00" (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)
  • "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
• 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.
  • mathew_william@myway.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "mathew william" <mathew_william24@klikni.cz>
Reply-To: mathew_william@myway.com
Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 19:22:19 +0000
Subject: FROM: MR MATHEW WILLIAM


FROM: MR MATHEW WILLIAM
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT.
BANK OF AFRICA (BOA)
OUAGADOUGOU BURKINA-FASO. WEST AFRICA

ATTN. PLEASE

This message might meet you in utmost surprise; however, it's just my urgent
need for foreign partner that made me to contact you for this transaction. I
am a banker by profession from Burkina Faso in West Africa and currently
holding the post of Director Auditing and Accounting unit of the bank. I
have the opportunity of transfering the left over funds U.S $17,500,000.00
of one of my bank clients who died along with his entire family on 31st July
2000 in a plane crash. You can confirm the geniuses of the deceased death by
clicking on this web site

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm

Hence, I am inviting you for a business deal where this money can be shared
between us in the ratio of 50/40 while 10% will be mapped out for expenses.
If you agree to my business proposal. Further details of the transfer will
be forwarded to you as soon as I receive your return mail, have a great day.
Make sure you keep this transaction as your top secret and make it
confidential till we receive the fund into the account that you will provide
to the bank. Don't disclose it to any body, because the secrecy of this
transaction is as well as the success of it.

CONTACT ME WITH THIS EMAIL ADDESS:
mathew_william@myway.com

MATHEW WILLIAM

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam