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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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:
  • "huge sum of money" (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)
  • "await your urgent response" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "James Peter" <jpeter7@msn.com>
Reply-To: jpeter011@msn.com
Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2006 14:31:44 +0000
Subject: Classified-Proposition

Dear Friend,

IMPERATIVE AND PRIVATE.
I am contacting you on a business transfer of a huge sum of money from a
deceased account. Though I know that a transaction of this magnitude will
make any one apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that all will
be well at the end of the day. We decided to contact you due to the
Urgency of this transaction.

PROPOSITION:
We discovered an abandoned sum of GB£26,000,000.00 (Twenty-Six Million
Pounds) in an account that Belongs to one of our foreign customers his was
killed drive-by shooting in the Southern Dora. Since his death, none of his
next-of-kin or relations has come forward to lay claims for this money as
the heir. We cannot release the fund from his account unless someone applies
for claim as the next-of-kin to the deceased as indicated in our Banking
guidelines.

Upon this discovery, we now seek your permission to have you stand as a next
of kin to the deceased as all documentations will be carefully worked Out by
us for the funds (GB£26, 000,000.00) to be released in your favor as the
beneficiary's next of kin. It may Interest you to know that we have secured
from the probate an order of madamus to locate any of deceased
beneficiaries.

Please acknowledge receipt of this message in acceptance of our mutual
Business Endeavour by furnishing me with the following;

1. Your name and address
2. Direct Telephone and fax numbers

These requirements will enable us file letter of claim to the appropriate
Departments for necessary approvals in your favor before the transfer can be
made. We shall be compensating you with 40%on final conclusion of this
project, while the rest shall be for us. If this proposal is acceptable by
you, please response immediately, I await your urgent response in this
my private mail box: (jpeter011@msn.com)

Best regards,
Mr. James Peter Wallace

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam