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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery 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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• 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.
  • migheal773@netscape.net

Fraud email example:

From: "Micheal Bright" <brighteal005674@msn.com>
Reply-To: migheal773@netscape.net
Date: Fri, 07 Oct 2005 09:59:01 +0000
Subject: URGENT RESPONCE

Dear Friend,

I apologize if the contents hereunder are contrary to your moral ethics, but
please treat it with absolute secrecy and personal courtesy. I am Micheal
Bright an Auditor of a commercial Bank here in the United Kingdom, in the
process of auditing our bank accounts I and one of my colleagues discovered
that there is a dormant account valued at the sum £18,700,000.00 (eighteen
million seven hundred thousand British Pounds) and after due verification of
this account we discovered that the account owner is late and that is why
the account has been dormant and as such a £18,700,000.00 has been lying in
the bank unclaimed.

The idea of presenting somebody who is not related to our deceased customer
to act as his next of kin came into our mind, that is how and why we have
contacted you to present you as his next of kin, so that the £18,700,000.00
will be paid to you and we can both disburse the fund according to the
percentage we will agree on. In view of this, I am seeking for your
co-operation and understanding to stand as the next of kin to our deceased
customer, to enable us claim the fund from my bank.

Hence, if this proposal is OK by you and you do not wish to take
undueadvantage of my trust, then I hope to bestow on you. Please kindly get
back to me immediately, strictly via my private email address only:
[migheal773@netscape.net] to enable me enlightens you on how we are to
proceed. On getting your response, we shall agree on the percentage of
disbursing the £18,700,000.00 between us, as we intend to invest part of our
own share in real estate business in your country, and we would appreciate
if you can put us in the right part investing in your Country.

I will not contact any person or company until I hear from you, so as to
enable me decides on what to do next. Be rest assured that this business is
100% risk free.

We wait for your prompt response.

Regards,
Micheal Bright.

NB: PLEASE NOTE THAT IT DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU ARE NOT RELATED TO MY LATE
CUSTOMER; THE FUND WILL STILL BE PAID TO YOU, SINCE WE ARE PRESENTING YOU AS
HIS NEXT OF KIN.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam