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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:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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:
  • "waiting for your urgent response" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "courier service" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
• This email message is a "New Partner from Paraguay" scam.
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +22993015379 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • companybeninfedexcourier@yahoo.fr

Fraud email example:

From: jimpeters@freenet.de
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:10:39 +0100
Subject: Goodday!


Goodday!
I have been waiting for you since to contact me for your
Confirmable Bank Draft of $950,000.00 United States Dollars, but I did
not hear from you since for a couple of weeks now.Then I went to the
bank to confirm if the draft has expired or getting near to expire and
Mr.James Adams the Director Bank of Africa told me that before the draft
will get to your hand that it will expire.
So I told him to cash the
$950,000.00 USD UNITED STATES DOLLARS to cash payment to avoid losing
this funds under expiration as I will be out of the country for a 3
Months Course and I will not come back till ending of July 2008.
What
you have to do now is to contact FEDEX COURIER SERVICES as soon as
possible to know when they will deliver your Consignment to you
becauseof the expiring date.For your information, I have paid for the
delivering Charge, Insurance premium.The only money you will send to the
FEDEX COURIER SERVICES to deliver your Consignment direct to your postal
Address in your country is ($105.00 US) One Hundred & Five United States
Dollars only being Security Keeping Fee of the Courier Company so
far.
Again, don\'t be deceived by anybody to pay any other money except
$105 US Dollars. I would have paid that but they said no because they
don\'t know when you will contact them and in case of demurrage.You have
to contact FEDEX COURIER SERVICES now for the delivery of your Draft
with this information bellow;
Directors Name: Dr Victor Marcel
Companys
Name:FEDEX COURIER SERVICES
Telephone.......+229- 930 15379
Email
Address: companybeninfedexcourier@yahoo.fr
Finally, make sure that you
reconfirm your Postal address and Direct telephone number to avoid any
mistake on the Delivery and ask them to keep you updated on the arrival
of your consignment and know when it will get to your address.Let me
repeat again, try to contact them as soon as you receive this mail to
avoid any further delay and remember to pay them their Security Keeping
fee of $105.00 US Dollars for their immediate action.
Note this. The
FEDEX COURIER SERVICES don\'t know the contents of the Box.I registered
it as a \"family valuable/Treasury\".. They did not know the contents
was money. this is to avoid them delaying with the BOX. Don?t let them
know that box contents money please.
I am waiting for your urgent
response.
Yours Faithfully,
Mr Jim Peters.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam