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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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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)
  • "million us 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)
  • "transaction is risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: helen lamine <hel.lamine24@hotmail.fr>
Reply-To: <lamine65fr@yahoo.fr>
Date: Wed, 2 Jan 2008 12:12:10 +0100
Subject: FROM MRS HELEN LAMINE



FROM MRS HELEN LAMINEABIDJAN COTE D’IVOIREPHONE: 0022505270965


Dear Friend,

COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON. I wish to solicit your help in migrating to your country and investing my funds. Briefly, I am a Sierra Leonean National and the wife of late Dr SIMON LAMINE .

Until his death, my husband was the General overseer of the Diamond Mine in Kanema Sierra Leone. On December 6 2000 the military forces loyal to the Government of Ahmed TIJAN KABBAH invaded the diamond mine and assassinated my husband, mistaking him for his brother MIKE LAMINE who is the deputy to the leader of the revolutionary United Front (RUF ) FODAY SANKOH.

When the news reached me, I hurried gathered some valuables in our family villa and escaped for my dear life in the company of my only son Micheal.

Among the valuables was a file that contained details of a deposit my husband made in a Local BANK here in Abidjan Côte d’Ivoire. He deposited 25.5 million it in the name of our son MICHAEL he made from the sale of Gold and diamonds during his time as the General overseer.

Now that we are in Abidjan and verified the deposit, we need your assistance to move this funds out of Côte d’Ivoire for investment in your country as we cannot invest here due to its nearness to our country and the war still going on there. We ask you to scout for a viable and lucrative business, so that we can invest wisely.

We have it in mind to give your 10% of the total sum (25.5 million US Dollars), and 15% share in any investment we will embark upon if you assist us. We will also set aside 5% of the funds for ancillary expenses which you will make in course of this transaction- fax messages, phone calls, etc.

This fortune we have revealed to you should remain confidential as it only you who we have told about it.

The phone number above have been acquierd for this transaction, so that your messages will be confidentially recieved. Call my son Micheal 0022505270965 on receipt of this message for futher directives. Note that this transaction is risk free. All I need from you is to forward me your account informations in order to transfer the money to your account.

God Blessed you .

Mrs Helen Lamine.
_________________________________________________________________
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http://specials.fr.msn.com/IE7P25

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam