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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)
  • "necessary legal documents" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. )
  • "a security company " (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. )
  • "the consignment " (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)
  • "trunk box" (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)
• 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.
  • private_kojoannan@gawab.com

Fraud email example:

From: Kojo Annan <kj_annan7@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <kj_annan@myway.com>
Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2007 10:39:43 +0200
Subject: From: Kojo Annan. Son Of Former UN Secetary General. (Read
Carefully & Reply ).



Dear Friend.
My name is Kojo Annan and I am the Son of his Excellency Mr. KofiAnnan, the just Retired Secretary General of the United Nations. If you have been following the events in the United Nations over the last few years, youwill remember the big scandal that took place when my father Mr. Annan wasforced into retirement and denied an appropriate pension. In retirement, myfather will no longer be able to parlay his position into internationalprizes.Your contact information was referred to me by one of my trustedcontacts,whose name I am not at liberty to compromise. I would like to approachyou with regards to a profitable Business Proposal, regardingthe transfer of Thirty One Million Seven Hundred Thousand ($31,700,000)U.S.Dollars . For reasons I am sure you will appreciate, I ask that you keep this communication confidential,and avoid it falling into the hands of any agents of the Ghanian's Special Services Branch that may be operating in Your area.You see, my Father had a lot of enemies in the diplomatic circles, whowill envy his great fortune. It was they who removed him in the hope to gainaccess to the money that he collected from honoraria and kickbacks(practices that is quite common in the UN). Fortunately, there was toomuch scandal and media coverage in the aftermath of my father Mr.Annan,my fathers enemies had promise to move openly to claim his money. Thisgave me and a few trusted people who were still loyal to my Father, anopportunity to move the money into a secret security company here inAccra Ghana.The fund was deposited into a trunk BOX as a family treasure with a security company here in Accra-Ghana . All i just need from you is to present you as the beneficiary of the trunk box,so that the security company can invite you for the collection of the box or they will deliver the box to you in your country.My Friend,my reason of doing this,is because i don't want the effort ofmy father to get lost to the hands of his enemies.This fund will be used as a family investment in your country.You will behelping my father to invest this fund into a profitable business inyour country.The Manager of the security company had also assuredme that the Box can be collected from any of their Branch Offices inEurope,America,Asia countries and Canada.I am contacting you base on the fact that i will not want the Ghanian'sSpecial Services Branch and the united nation present government toknow that my father had such amount of money to himself.At this point because of my fathers position in the society, i assure you that all the necessary legal documents backing up this transaction will be forwarded to you.I will also be introduce you to my fathers attorney who will be helping me to change all the documents to your name as the beneficiary of the consignment in the security company,as soon as i receive your urgent response.Furthermore my father had used his good offices in several delicatepolitical situations. These included an attempt in 1998 to gain Iraqcompliance with Security Council resolutions; an agreement in 1999 toresolve a stalemate between Libya and the Security Council over the1988 Lockerbie bombing; diplomacy in 1999 to forge an international responseto violence in East Timor; the certification of Israel withdrawal fromLebanon in September 2000, and further efforts, since the renewedoutbreak of violence in September 2000, to encourage Israelis and Palestiniansto resolve their differences through peaceful negotiations based onSecurity Council resolutions 242 and 338 and the principle of "land forpeace".Mr. Annan has also sought to improve the status of women in theSecretariat and to build closer partnerships with civil society, the private sector and other non-State actors whose strengths complement those of the UnitedNations; in particular, he has called for a "Global Compact" involvingleaders of the world business community as well as labor andcivil society organizations, aimed at enabling all the world and peopleto share the benefits of globalization and embedding the global market invalues and practices that are fundamental to meeting socio-economicneeds.How can anyone deny such a record of accomplishment?,While we managedto do this without the Ghanian's Special Services Branch becoming aware ofour activities, the money cannot remain in this country, because of so manyreasons that may not be in the favor of my family.The only optionavailable to us, is to move the money to a trusted partner, whois a foreigner and cannot be linked to Mr. Kofi Annan or any member ofthe family in any way.I will be coming to your country as soon as you receive the box todiscuss the modality of investing the fund in your country and also what i willbe offering you for your assistance.I will love you get back to me withYour.Full name:----------------------------------------------------------House address:---------------------------------------------------Mobile Phone and fax number:-------------------------------Country--------------------------------------------------------------Age-------------------------------------------------------------------Occupation----------------------------------------------------------I am at your disposal to answer any questions you may like to ask,sodon't hesitate to contact me via my email address:private_kojoannan@gawab.com. I eagerly await your reply, though I must askyou to treat this matter with great secrecy, lest you betray me and myfamily to the agents of the Ghanian's Special Services Branch.Respectfully Yours,Kojo Annan.
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam