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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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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:

• 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:
  • "utmost confidentiality" (they don't want anyone to point out to you that this is a scam)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • merittrustbankplc@excite.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "mrs linda johnson" <mrslindajohnson64@yahoo.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: merittrustbankplc@excite.com
Date: Fri, 1 Jan 1988 09:14:02 +0100
Subject: donate to the needies.

Hello dear,
My name is Mrs.Linda Johnson a widow and a dying woman who
have decided to donate what I have to you/ church. I am 60
years old and I was diagnosed for cancer for about 2 years ago,
immediately after the death of my husband, who left to me
everything he worked for.I have been touched by my spirit
to donate from what I have inherited from my late husband to
the you for the good work of God, rather than allowing my relatives
to misuse my husband hard earned funds ungodly. Please pray, that
the good Lord forgive me my sins. I have asked God to forgive me
and I believe he has because He is a merciful God and my donor now
is for his good works. I will be going in for an operation in less
than one hour.
I decided to WILL/donate the sum of $1,500,000 (One million five
hundred thousand dollars) to you for the good work of the lord,
and also to help the motherless and less previleged ones and also for
the assistance of the widows. At the moment I cannot take any
telephone calls right now due to the fact that my relatives are
around me and my health status is not to its best. I have adjusted
my WILL and my family bank is aware I have changed my will to you
and they will arrange the transfer of the funds from my family account
to you. I wish you all the best and may the good Lord bless you abundantly.
Please use the funds well and always extend the good work to others.
Contact the bank at merittrustbankplc@excite.com with my will and the account
details as follows:
Account name/ Mr Dennis Johnson
Next of kin: Mrs Linda Johnson
Account number: MTB20134243241.
I am very sure that the bank will listen and attent to you and have the fund
transfered to your bank account . Contact them and tell them that I have WILLED
($1,500, 000.00) to you by quoting my personal reference number;gdmchambers/WILL
/170507/d07 I know I do not know you but I have been directed to do this.
Thanks and God bless.NB: I will appreciate your utmost confidentiality in
this matter till this task is accomplished as I don't want anything that
will jeopardize my last wish. And Also I will be contacting with you by
email as I don't want my relation or anybody to know because they are
always around me and will never be so happy for my extention of my late husband
hard earned money.
Regards,
Mrs.Linda Johnson.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam