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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:
  • "trunk box" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "trunk boxes" (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)
• This email message is a "dying merchant" 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.
  • justin4lorenzo@netscape.net

Fraud email example:

From: JUSTIN LORENZO <justin4lorenzo@walla.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2006 06:30:40 +0100
Subject: CONTACTING YOU FOR AN ASSISTANCE



Dear ,
Greetings to you and Please permit me to introduce myself.
I am Mr.Justin Lorenzo, an Italian crude oil Merchant based in Sao
Tome and Principe.
I was so lucky to come in contact with your profile and email address
on the internet, and that is why i am contacting you.
I was diagnosed with esophageal cancer which has defiled all medical
solutions and according to medical experts I only
have a few more months to live. As you read this you do not have to
feel sorry for me as it is a universal truth that we all
must die someday, the only problem with mine though being that I have
particularly not lived my life well in spite of my
wealth and possessions as I never really cared for anyone (not even
myself) but my business. Though I am very rich I
was never generous, I was never caring about people but only dedicated
my time and resources on my business as that
was the only thing I cared about. But now I regret all this as I now
know that there is more to life than just accumulating all
the wealth in the world, as I lay helplessly on my sick bed. If I was
given a second chance to live again I sure would live my
life a different way from how I have lived it owing to what has
befallen me now.
As my last days alive are drawing closer and closer I have already
willed out most of my properties and assets to my
immediate and extended family members as well as a few close friends. I
also want my soul to be at peace with God and for
him to be merciful on me and accept my soul and to this regard I have
resolved to give my remaining funds to charity
organizations as I want this to stand as one of the last deeds I
indulge in on earth before I die. Though I have already distributed
money to some charity organizations, Now that my health has
deteriorated so badly I can no longer continue with this myself and
also I do not trust my immediate family members or close friends on
this, as I have once aske d them to close one of my accounts
and distribute the funds therein to charity organizations in
Sudan,Somolia, Haiti and India they greedily kept the money to
themselves.
Hence I am contacting you with this as I have lost confidence in them
because it is obvious they are not contented with what I have
left for them. The last of my funds which no one knows of is a cash
deposit of Fourteen million U.S Dollars ($14,000,000,00) stashed in
two trunk boxes and declared as Personal effects of high security value
which I have with a finance/Security Company in the Netherlands
.
All I am asking of you is to assist me in making the collection of this
deposit and dispatching the funds to any charity of your choice
after keeping 20% of the funds for yourself and your family.10% of
these funds should be to cover any expenses that might be
incurred in the process of making this claims. Please contact me as
soon as you get this email if you are capable and sincere to handle
this transaction on my behalf so I can forward you with all relevant
documents necessary for the claims and the name of the security firm
where the funds are deposited. God bless you as I await words from you.
Please inform me as soon as possible via my email address:
justin4lorenzo@netscape.net, even if you are not interested so I
can proceed to seek for someone else to carry out this on my behalf.
Thanks for your anticipated co-operation.
Justin Lorenzo.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam