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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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• 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)
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "hundred thousand u.s 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)
  • "contact me immediately" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
  • "transaction is 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))
  • "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: phillip williams <phillipwilliams3@hotmail.fr>
Reply-To: <phillip_williams43@yahoo.fr>
Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2007 14:07:07 +0000
Subject: FROM THE DESK OF FROM MR PHILLIP WILLIAMS.



FROM THE DESK OF FROM MR PHILLIP WILLIAMS.BILL AND EXCHANGE MANAGER,BANQUE INTERNATIONALE DU ABIDJANABIDJAN, COTE D,IVOIREWEST AFRICA.

Dear Friend,
I am the manager of bill and exchange at the foreign remittance department of Banque internationale de Abidjan (BIAO). I am writing following the impressive information based on this transaction,Assuring me of your capability and reliability to champion this business opportunity.
In my department we discovered an abandoned ssum of U.S$18.5m US dollars (Eighteen million, five hundred thousand U.S dollars). In an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer who died along with his entire family in a Alaska Airlines Flight 261.
(website http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/02/01/alaska.airlines.list/)
In the year 2000 in San Francisco that almost took the whole life of the passengers on board. Since we got information about his death,I have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines but unfortunately i learnt that his supposed next of kin wife and his only child died alongside with him at the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim.
It is upon this discovery in my department that i have decided to make this businness proposal to you and for you to act as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and i don't 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 three years, the money will be transfered into the Bank treasury account 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 an Ivoiren cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner.
I agree that 30 % 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 60 % would be for me. There after I will visit your country for disbursement according 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. Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or email the text of the application of claim.
I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is risk 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 lettert Trusting to hear from you immediately.
Yours Faithfully,
FROM MR PHILLIP WILLIAMS.BILL AND EXCHANGE MANAGER,BANQUE INTERNATIONALE DU ABIDJANABIDJAN, COTE D,IVOIREWEST AFRICA.



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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam