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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• 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:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dearest one," (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "a security company " (this will cost you money - that's what the scam is about)
  • "trunk box" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "your urgent reply" (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.
  
• 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.
  • +22507119632 (Cote d'Ivoire, probably a 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.
  • sofiane_brahim1@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Sofiane" <sofiane_ibrahim2@yahoo.com> (may be fake)
Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 07:10:59 +0200
Subject: Dear i am writting with tears of sorrow

Dearest One,
we are writting this letter with due respect and heartful of tears since we have not known or met ourselves previously we asking for your assistance after we have gone through a profile that speaks good of you. we want to find out if it's possible for you to deal with individual as to investment.we came across your profile and we would like to use this opportunity to introduce ourself to you.
Well i am Sofiane Ibrahimm and my brother is Ahmed Ibrahim we are from iraq ,and only children of Late COL Ibrahim Hussan,our father is now late,he died during the Amerrican attack on Sadan Hussan army in my country(Iraq) along with our lovely mother. He was one of the high officers in the leadership of former president SADAM HUSSAN who is now under arrest by americans, after many innocent soul were killed,our parents was unlucky to be among those that was killed by the Amerrican Soldier.Since after the death of our parents i sofiane have not been my self because i love my parents so much and warnned my father to retire from army but he could not listen. Before the death of our parents on 2004 he called me and my brother and told us that he has the sum of Ten million, Five hundred thousand United State
Dollars.(USD$10.500,000) in one trunk box deposited in a security company which he declared to the company simply as containing family valuable treasure for security reason.that was our last family discussion,be fore their death
He further told us that he deposited the consignmnent with my name as the next of kin, and finally told us to live the country immediately in other to make sure we are in a save possession,then this is how we came down to west africa but now i am in a general hospital here in cote d'vioire and in a very bad condition of health,
This is because I have suffered a lot of set backs as a result of incessant political crisis here in Ivory coast. The death of our parents actually brought sorrow to our life.I am in a sincere desire of your humble assistance in this regards . Your suggestions and ideas will be highly regarded.
Now permit me to ask these few questions:-
1. Can you honestly take us as your own and help us.
2. Can we completely trust you?
3. What percentage of the total amount in question
will be good for you after the money is in your
account?
Please, Consider this and get back to us as soon as possible
my life life is in danger . we really need your asistance now so that if the security company release the money to you then you will from there send some money to us so that we will come over to your country and move on with our life there for the world is crashed on us now, then you will help us invest the money, iraq govement is not aware of this money, we want to leave here as soon as you help us to have the consignment cleared from the security company and lodge it into a safe account in your stable country . Without your help, we will find it difficult to clear it our self alone with our little or no experience.
we are waiting for your urgent reply with your contact phone number so that i can give you the contact of the security company for you to contact them as our present guardian. and in due course we will give you the secret code for opening the consignment when you are ready to go on my behalf.please dear writte me back on (sofiane_brahim1@yahoo.com) or you can call us +225 07 11 96 32.
Thank you so much.
My sincere regards
SOFIANE.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam