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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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  (+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:
  • "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +22997260754 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "Dr Sapele Okota" <drsapeleokota@msn.com>
Reply-To: sapeleokota@o2.pl
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 13:20:01 +0000
Subject: I need your co-opperation.

From: Dr.Sapele Okota.
Staff, Bill and Exchange,
Foreign Remittance Dept.
(NBA), Cotonou,
Republic of Benin.
Tel: +229-97-26-07-54
E-Mail: sapeleokota@o2.pl

My dear.

With good purpose of health, I write to seek for your co-operation and
assistance to secure a financial deposit made by one of our late
customers.
I am Dr.Sapele Okota, a staff in bill and exchange at the foreign
remittance department of "National Bank of Africa Benin" (NBA), Cotonou,
Republic of Benin. In my department, we discovered an abandoned sum of (US
14.2 M.) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer who
died along with his entire family on 25th December 2003 in a plane crash
here in Benin Republic.
Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next
of kin to come forward and claim his money because we cannot release it
unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased
as indicated in our Banking guidelines and policies but unfortunately we
learnt that all his supposed next of kin or relation died alongside with
him at the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claims.
It is therefore upon to this discovery that I decided to contact you with
this proposal, so that you will be presented as the next of kin to the
dead customer, for the release of the money to you as the next of kin or
relation to the deceased and also for safety and subsequent disbursement
between you and I, since no body is coming forth and I don’t want this
money to go into the Bank treasury as unclaimed Bill.
According to our Banking policies and guideline here which stipulates that
if such money remained unclaimed after five years, the money will
automatically be transferred into the Bank treasury as unclaimed fund.
The request of foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by
the fact that the customer was a foreigner and an Beninois cannot stand as
next of kin to a foreigner.
However, your compensation for this noble assistance will be negotiated
upon your acceptance to help me as a foreign partner, since you are to
provide an account for the claim. Meanwhile,10% will be set aside for
reimbursement of any expenses made by you and me during the curse of the
transaction.
Thereafter I will visit your Country for disbursement according to the
percentages agreed.
Therefore to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to you as
arranged, you must apply first to the Bank as relation or next of kin of
the deceased indicating your Bank name, your Bank account number, your
private telephone and fax number for easier and effective communication
and location where the money will be remitted.
Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or email the text of
the application. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this
transaction is hitch free and that you should not entertain any atom of
fear as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer and the
file of the fund is under my desk.
You should call me on phone immediately as soon as you receive this mail.
Tel: +229-97-26-07-54
Trusting to hear from you immediately, also if you have any question
regarding this transaction I advice you to feel free and ask me as you
reply to this mail.
Thanks and God bless.

Yours faithfully,
Dr.Sapele Okota.

You can still get back to me in my private
E-Mail: sapeleokota@o2.pl

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam