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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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "may come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "contact me immediately" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
  • "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: "camara musa" <cm_sx15@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: camaramusa11@yahoo.com
Date: Mon, 09 Apr 2007 18:12:40 +0000
Subject: URGENT ATTENTION NEEDED

From the desk of Mr Camara Musa
Bill and exchange manager,
Bank of africa
Ouagadougou Burkina Faso
West africa.

Dear Friend,

I know that this letter may come to you as a surprise,I got your contact
address from the internet while I was searching for somebody that has
similar name with our deaceased customer.

I am the manager of bill and exchange BANK OF AFRICA (B.O.A) at foreign
remittance department .There is a business I would want you to champion for
me.In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of ($31.500.000 U.S)
thirty one million five hundred thousands US dollars) . In an account that
belongs to one of our foreign customer who died along with his entire family
in 11th september 2003 in a plane crash. 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 guidelines, but
unfortunately we learnt that all his supposed next of kin's or relation died
along side with him in the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim.

It is therefore upon this discovery that I and other officials in my
department 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 safety
and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and we dont want
this money to go into the Bank treasury as unclaimed Bill.

The Banking law and guideline 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 in this business is occasioned by
the fact that the customer was a foreigner and a Burkinabe cannot stand as
next of kin to a foreigner. We agree that 20 % of this money will be for you
as foreign partner, in respect to the provision of a foreign account, 10 %
will be set aside for expenses incured during the business and 70 % would be
for me and my colleagues.

There after I and my colleagues will visit your country for disbursement
accoding to the percentages indicated. Therefore to enable the immediate
transfer of this fund to you as arranged,you must apply first to the bank as
relations or next of kin of the deceased indicating your bank name, your
bank account number, your private telephone and fax number for easy and
effective communication and location where in the money will be remitted.All
modalities of this transaction have been carefully worked out and once
started will not take more than fourteen(14) working days, with your full
support. this transaction is 100% risk free.it involve no any inplication
and no any precaution there after.

Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or 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.

Yours faithfully,
Camara Musa
Bill and exchange manager,
Bank of africa

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam