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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "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)
  • "million united states dollars" (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.)
  • "abuja" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• 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.
  • rjeff44@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "JEFF RICHARD" <rjeff44@yahoo.co.uk> (may be fake)
Date: Sun, 13 Aug 2006 05:02:49 +0100
Subject: Next of Kin Wanted Now .......

FROM:BARRISTER JEFF RICHARD (ESQ)
RICHJEFF CHARMBERS .
#18 IKOYI ROAD, LAGOS NIGERIA .
Email:rjeff44@yahoo.co.uk

Dear Friend,

I am Barrister Jeff Richard . A Solicitor. I am the Personal Attorney to "Mr.Mark Clement", a Foreign national who works with Chevron Oil Development Company in Nigeria. On the 21st of April 1999, my client, his wife and their three children were involved in a car accident along Abuja Express Road. Unfortunately they all lost their lives in the event of the accident. Since then I have made several enquiries to your Embassy to locate any of my client's extended relatives, this has also proved unsuccessful.

After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to trace his relatives over the Internet to locate any member of his family but of no avail, hence, I contacted you to assist in repatriating the money left behind by my client in a security . Particularly, the Security Company where the deceased deposited the two trunk boxes containing $15Million (Fifteen Million United States Dollars Only) does not know the content of the two trunk boxes deposited with them.

Consequently, the Security Company issued me a notice to provide the Next-of-Kin to claim the two trunk boxes in their custody within the next ten official working days. Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over few years now, I seek your consent to present you as the next-of-kin of the deceased to claim the two trunk boxes since you are a foreigner so that the two trunk boxes can be release to you by the security company as soon as i send to you the relevant document covering this fund .

Upon receipt of the two trunk boxes, I will come over to your country to meet with you for the disbursement of the fund, and then you and i can share the money : 50% to me and 40% to you, while 10% will be used on expenses incurred. I have all the necessary legal documents that can back up any claim we may make with the Security Company.

All I require is your honest co-operation to enable us see this deal through. I guarantee 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 secured and confidential Email Address: and on the above stated private telephone numbers to enable us discuss further.

Please indicate your telephone and fax number for further discussion/clarification.

Best regards,
Barrister. Jeff Richard .

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam