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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• 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.

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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)
  • "ecowas " (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: Koko Patrick <k25patrick@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2007 17:45:18 +0000
Subject: provide an account.



Dear Friends,This is an official legal notice for an unclaimed fund left by Engr. M.E Schmidt, A National of your country who died in a plane crash here in Africa on the 25th December 2003.I am the director in charge of auditing and accounting unit of Ecowas Bank For Investment & Development. I discovered the sum of $25.5 Million left in the deceased account and the fund has been lying in as a suspense account,since no one has come up for claim.I hereby solicit for your immediate response and positive committed efforts to facilitate for the claim of this fund as the next of kin to the deceased.Upon your positive response to this covenant, I will make all necessary informations known to you, as I attached here the website of the incident.http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/12/26/benin.crash/index.html.Kindly get in touch with me through my email address for more guild lines to the repatriation of this fund.Yours Sincerely,Koko Patrick
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam