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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

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.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

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:

Fraud email example:

From: "Email Update" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <infoicpccommission@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 12:27:31 +0100
Subject: GENERAL RESET ALERT CONFIRMATION™ 2014

All E-mail Account User.



VERIFY THIS EMAIL ADDRESS TO AVOID IMMEDIATE CLOSURE



We have recently confirmed that your mailbox has exceeded the limit of 30 GB, which is as set by your manager and your are currently at 30.9GB. Different computers have logged into your mailbox account and multiple password errors have been entered. We are hereby suspending your account; as it has been used for fraudulent purposes. Now we need you to reconfirm your account information to us. Click your reply tab, fill in the columns below and send it back to us or your email account will be suspended permanently and you will not be able to create new e-mail to send or receive again until your reconfirm your account information.



Name: .........................................

User Name:...................................

Password: ...................................

Reconfirm Password:...................

Date of Birth ................................
Country or Territory......................

Here are some ways to help you manage your account after you reconfirm your account.

Create an archive - Set up a folder on your PC’s hard drive where you can save large attachments. Then just delete them from your inbox. You’ll still have them and your in-box will be that much smaller.
Make your filters work for you- Did you know you can set up your E-mail account to immediately delete junk e-mail? Go to Options, and click Filters and reporting. Under the “Delete junk e-mail” section, select immediately to delete junk e-mail right away. Once you’re finished, click Save and you’re done.
Delete a bunch of mail at once- Go to your Junk and Deleted folders, and clear them out by clicking the “Empty” button in the action bar.

Sincerely,
The Email Service Team
© 2014. All Rights Reserved.

Anti-fraud resources: