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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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• 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:
  • "i will like you to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "contact me immediately" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • +27781286275 (South Africa, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "RAY SMITH" <ray_smith_107@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: mrraysmith_0001@yahoo.ca
Date: Tue, 04 Jul 2006 01:30:27 +0200
Subject: URGENT BUSINESS AGREEMENT!!!

FROM: MR RAY SMITH

STANDARD BANK SOUTH

AFRICA PRETORIA BRANCH.

CONFIDENTIAL.

 

Dear Sir,

I am Mr. Ray Smith. a staff of Standard Bank South Africa. I am writing following an opportunity in my office that will be of immense benefit to both of us. In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of US$9.5 million belonging to one of our foreign customer Late Mr. Kurt Kahle from America. You shall read more about the crash on visiting this site .Who died along with his entire family on Monday 31 July 2000 in a plane crash in Paris. Please visit this site that is one of the evidence the directors brought in other to swallow the money at the end of the day.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm  

Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release it unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking laws but unfortunately we learnt that all his supposed next of kin or relation died alongside with him at the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim. It is therefore upon this discovery that I now decided to make this business proposal to you and release the money to you as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and I don't want this money to go into the bank treasury as unclaimed bill.

The banking law and guidelines here stipulates that if such money remained unclaimed after five years, the money will be transferred into the bank treasury as unclaimed fund. I agree that 40% of this money will be for you as a respect to the provision of a foreign account and 60% would be for me Thereafter, I will visit your country for disbursement according to the percentage indicated.

Therefore, to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to your designated bank account, you must apply first to the bank as a relation or next of kin of the deceased with a text of application that I will send to you, so I will like you to send to me your private telephone and fax number for easy and effective communication and location wherein the money will be remitted. Upon receipt of your reply, I will send you an email the text of the application. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any atom of fear, as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer.

You should contact me immediately as soon as you receive this letter. Trusting to hear from you immediately.

Regards,

 

Mr. Ray Smith.

Mobile: +27-781-286-275.

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam