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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
• Support our efforts to stop scams!
  
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• What can you do when you receive 419 spam
  
  
• Spam archive, Daily index
  

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 sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
• 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.
  • +2348050772752 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "DR JOHN UCHE" <johnuche20004@yahoo.co.uk> (may be fake)
Reply-To: ohnuche20002@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2006 21:48:33 +0100
Subject: RECONFIRMATION NEEDED

FROM: DR JOHN IBE UCHE
DIRECTOR OF PAYMENT
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF FINANCE.
TEL:234-8050772752



DEAR SIR/MADAM,

RE: APPROVAL OF $15.5 MILLION CONTRACT PAYMENT


I am a director with the Federal Ministry of Finance and was instructed
by the Hon Minister of Finance of Nigeria to find out before the end of
this month, WHY your contract payment/ claim of your fund have not been
credited to your account, after instructions has been passed to all
various Government quarters that all over due contract/claim payments
should be released as a lot of petitions by beneficiary's has been
received
by the Minister.


Your bank details are what this office want you to reconfirm, with your
telephone and fax numbers, and any other inform! ation on WHY you have
not received your payment up-till date?. However I will give my
assistance to make sure your file is in order for payment as two people
came
for the claim of the fund and submitted account saying that you are not
well and n o longer interested in the fund.



Yours faithfully


DR JOHN IBE. UCHE

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam