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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.

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

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "million us 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)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "ROSE OKPOKU" <roseopoku3@telegraf.by>
Reply-To: rose1opoku@yahoo.com
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2008 22:53:15 +0100
Subject: Sincerely Mrs. Rose Opoku


Dear,

I am Mrs. Rose, the wife of Opoku, I am from a Moslem home but my marriage
to chief Opoku turned me into Christianity. I know you might say that I am
wrong but the fact remains that Chief was a very good man and he loved me so
much right from my childhood days, he paid my school fees and when my dad
died, he was the only person who assisted my poor family till his death.. I
am the fourth wife and the only Moslem in their clan, so I was hated by my
co-wives and chief kinsmen. Because of that chief always protected me like
an egg. Before chief died last month, he called me in his hospital bed and
he told me that he has a box which he deposited in a storage and finance
company, he directed me to bring one of his files which he kept in the
house, inside the file is the document covering the deposit of the box..
Then he said to me. ."Rose I KNOW THAT YOU ARE HATED BY MY FAMILY AND WHEN I
AM GONE THEY WILL MAKE LIFE MISERABLE FOR YOU AND YOUR ONLY DAUGHTER", then
he gave me the file and ask me to go and file for the release of the box and
he instructed that I should use the money inside the box to take care of our
daughter. After the burial of chief, the other three wives connived with
chief brothers and they sent me away from the family house with nothing.
Last week I went with my daughter to the Storage company and they confirmed
that the box is still intact, we told them that we want the box but they
said we should bring an address in your country where the box will be ship
to; according to them, they had an agreement with Chief that the box will be
ship to your country anytime it will be released. If you are interested in
helping me I will give you 15% of the money. The total amount in the box is
(US$11.5 million us dollars) Please I need your help. I do not have any
relation in over there and do not trust people in any African country. My
Please help me and my only child, because our life is no more safe here.. I
want to get the box release and transferred out of Ghana to your country as
soon as possible, then I will come over and you will also assist me and my
daughter. To invest the money in a safe lucrative business there. I want
us to be fast about this before Chief family will get to know about it, as
for now no one outside my family knows about this. Thanks and Allah bless
your family. Yours Sincerely Mrs. Rose Opoku

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam