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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "hundred thousand united states 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)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "barr." (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• 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.
  • +2348023052425 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • sam_uzor21@yahoo.co.uk

Fraud email example:

From: "samuel uzor" <sam_uzor9@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: sam_uzor21@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2006 15:25:32 +0000
Subject: Dear Friend.

Barrister Samuel Uzor
Uzor & Co Chambers
10 Louis Solomon Close
Victoria Island
Tel: +234-8023052425
Lagos State, Nigeria.

Dear Friend,

I am Barrister Samuel Uzor a Solicitor. I am the Personal Attorney to late
Mr. Robert Drain from Canada. Forgive me any embarrassment this email might
cause you, It’s all for our own good. On the 21st of April 2002, my
client,his wife and their only son were involved in a car accident along
Accra /Kumasi express road. Unfortunately they all lost their lives in the
event of the accident, since then I have made several enquiries to locate
any of my clients relatives and this has also proved unsuccessful.

After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to trace his relatives
over the Internet and our chamber of commerce, to locate any member of his
family but to no avail, hence I contacted you. I am contacting you to assist
in claiming the money left behind before they get confiscated or declared
unserviceable by the Bank where my client deposited this money.
Consequently, where the deceased had an account valued at US$28.3 (Twenty
Eight Million Three Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) issued me a
notice to provide the next of kin or have the fund confiscated within a
short time.

Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over some years
now, I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin of the deceased
since you are a foreigner as well so that the proceeds of the account valued
at U.S$28.3 million can be paid to you for both of us to share the funds;55%
to me and 40% to you, while 5% should be for expenses or tax as your
government may require. I have all necessary legal documents that can be
used to backup the claim.

All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us seeing this deal
through.

I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that
will protect you from any breach of the law.
Please get in touch with me through my e-mail on sam_uzor21@yahoo.co.uk to
enable us discuss further.

Thanks for your kind co-operation.

Barr. Samuel Uzor (Esq).

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam