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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• 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. Never ever send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally. )
  • "huge deposit" (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)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• 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.
  • barrjamesbarrie01@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: James Barrie <barrbarrie7@msn.com>
Reply-To: <barrjamesbarrie01@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 5 May 2008 13:42:25 +0000
Subject: I need your reply please...................



My Dear Friend ,The inspiration to contact you is simply divine providence; I am making this proposition because i have to seek the partnership of a resource person to help me realize this project. I am Barrister James Barrie, a Solicitor at law. I am the Personal Attorney to Mr. Michael Gambone a business contractor with BRITISH/US Shell - Development Company in London .He died with his wife (Deborah Gambone) on board the Swissair Flight 111, which crashed into the Atlantic off Nova Scotia in September 2nd 1998. The news of this crash was on the news which we have notified his relatives to no avail.Unfortunately they all lost their lives in the event of the accident, since then i have made several enquiries to locate any of my clients extended relatives and this has also proved unsuccessful. After these several unsuccessful attempts to locate any member of his family, hence I contacted you. I contacted you to assist in repatriating the money and property left behind before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by the bank where my client lodged these huge deposits. Particularly, the bank where the deceased had an account valued at about £39.6 milion pounds sterling. Consequently, the bank issued me a notice to provide the next of kin or have the account confiscated within a short time. Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over some years now, I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin of the deceased since you bear the same surname so that the proceeds of the account valued at £39.6 milion pounds sterling can be paid to you for both of us to share the funds; 50% to me and 45% to you, while 5% should be for expenses or tax as your government may require. I have all necessary legal documents that can be used to backup the claim.All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us see this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law.Thanks for your kind co-operation. Barrister James Barrie [BLS] [Legal Practitioner]barrjamesbarrie01@yahoo.com

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam