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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery 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:
  • "million us 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)
  • "is 100% risk-free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: Fofanah Ibrahim <fofanah_ibrahim505051@yahoo.co.in>
Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2007 19:32:16 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: From Mr.Fofanah Ibrahim Urgent.


Dear Sir,

I am the Auditing and Accounting manager of International Commercial Bank Limited (I.C.B Ltd.) Accra, Ghana. Foreign Remittance Department. There is a business I would want you to champion for me.

In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of Five Million US Dollars (US$5MILLION)in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer who died along with his entire family in November 2002 in a plane crash in Cote D'ivoire.

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 depositor as indicated in our Banking rules but unfortunately we learnt that all his supposed next of kin or elation died alongside with him in the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim.

It is therefore upon this discovery that I now decided to make this businness proposal to you and release the money to you as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for own use and benefit since nobody is coming for it and i don't want this money to go into the Bank treasury as unclaimed money.

The Banking law and guidelines here stipulates that if such money remained unclamed after four years, the money will be transfered into the Bank treasury as unclaimed fund.The request of foreigner as next of kin and beneficiary in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner, and a citizen of republic of Ghana cannot stand as next of kin to the deceased depositor and Beneficairy of the unclaimed money.

I agree that 35% of this money will be for you as my foreign partner, in respect to the provision of a foreign account and the important role you are going to play to make this transaction a huge success 10% will be set aside for expenses that may be incured in the course of transfering the money into your account while 55% would be for me.
Thereafter I will visit your country for the sharing of the money between me and you according to the percentage indicated here.

Therefore to enhance the immediate transfer of the money to your account as arranged, you must apply first to our bank as relation or next of kin of the deceased depositor indicating your bank name, your bank account number,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 to you by fax or email the Text of the application which you shall recopy,type and sign and send to our bank as the supposed next of kin and beneficairy of the fund.

I will not fail to bring to your knowledge that this transaction is 100% Risk-free both now and in future besides i have already done all the underground works that will lead to success before contacting you.You should not entertain any atom of fear as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer.Meanwhile,i will use my executive position and rank in office to ensure that the fund is approved and transfered to your account without difficulties or problem.

Please contact me as soon as you receive this mail.

Trusting to hear from you soon.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr.Fofanah Ibrahim.




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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam