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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) 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:
  • "huge deposit" (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.)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.

Fraud email example:

From: "martin collins" <law_martincollins142@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: law_martincollins5@yahoo.com
Date: Sat, 29 Jul 2006 19:06:35 +0100
Subject: Donald Loew

Barrister Martin Collins
Martin Collins chambers'
London England.

Dear Loew,

I am Barrister Martin Collins. I am the personal attorney to Late Mr. Donald
Loew a national of your country who died in a ghastly car accident in 2004.
Since he died, I have made several enquiries to locate any of my clients
extended relatives but it has also proved unsuccessful. After these several
unsuccessful attempts, to locate any member of his family hence I contacted
you.

I am contacting you to assist in repatriating the money and property left
behind by my client before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by
the bank where this huge deposits were lodged.
Particularly, the bank where the deceased had an account valued at about 8.5
million dollars has issued me a notice to provide the next of kin or have
the account confiscated.
Since I have been unsuccessful in locating any possible relatives, I now
seek your consent to present you as the next of kin of the deceased since
you have the same last name, so that the proceeds of this account valued at
8.5 million dollars can be paid to you and then you and I can share the
money 60% to me and 40% to you.

I have all necessary legal documents that can be used to back up any claim
we may make.
All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us seeing this deal
through.
I guarantee you 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 by my email for further directives on how to go
about actualizing the claim in your name.

Best regards,
Barrister Martin Collins.

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam