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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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "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)
  • "hundred thousand united state 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)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
  • "cotonou" (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.
  
• 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.
  • +22997527489 (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.
  • fedex_delivery_express_courier@yahoo.fr

Fraud email example:

From: innocent_usman1@freenet.de
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:52:26 +0200
Subject: CONTACT FEDEX COURIER EXPRESS NOW


Hello My Dear Friend
I have been waiting for you since to contact me for
your Confirmable Bank Draft worth of (usd$1.5M.USD) )ONE MILLION FIVE
HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATE DOLLARS which my boss left with me before
he travelled out of this Country, but I did not hear from you since that
time. Then with the help of a friend Dr.Wilson who is The Bank manager
of The Bank of Africa I cashed the money and deposited it as a BOX
containing African clothes with FEDEX DELIVERING COMPANY Benin Republic
Cotonou .

What you have to do now is to contact the Fedex Delivering
Company as soon as possible to know when they will deliver your package
to you And For your information, I have paid for the delivering Charge
of the package.
The only money you will send to the Fedex Delivering
Company is ($185.00 US) for Security Keeping Fee to Enable them Settle
the Security Company And deliver your package direct to your postal
Address in your country.Just $185 United States Dollars only being
Security Keeping Fee of the Fedex Delivering Company so far.
Again,
don\'t be deceived by anybody to pay any other money except $185 US
Dollars. I would have paid that but they said no because they don\'t
know when you will contact them and incase of demurrage You have to
contact the Fedex Delivering Company now for the delivery of your
package. This is Their contact Information Below:
Contact Person:Dr
Victor Brown.
Email Address:
(fedex_delivery_express_courier@yahoo.fr)Phone +229-9752-7489 Finally,
make sure that you reconfirm the following infomation to them again to
avoid any mistake on the Delivery and ask them to give you the tracking
number to enable you track your package over there and know when it will
get to your address.
The infomations is follow:
(1.)YOUR FULL
NAME...................................................
(2.)YOUR CURRENT
TELEPHONE.....................
(3.)A COPY OF YOUR I.D.
PICTURE...............................
(4.)YOUR
OCCUPACTION..............................................
(5.)YOUR
COUNTRY NAME...........................................
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
$185 US Dollars for their immediate action.Do let me know immediately
you recieves your package. Also This is the attach of the Consignment
which you are going to receive from the Fedex Delivering Company To
enable you know the package when they will deliver it to you, The
Director of the Fedex delivering company forwarded the copy of the
consignment to my Office this morning to show you so that you will
recorganise it when their diplomat arrive in your country, So This Is
the Copy of your Consignment Box.

Yours Faithfully,
Innocent Usman,



Unbegrenzter Speicher, Top-Spamschutz, 120 SMS und eigene
E-MailDomain
inkl.
http://office.freenet.de/dienste/emailoffice/produktuebersicht/power/mail/index.html

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam