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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

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:
  • "waiting for your urgent response" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "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.
  • +22993121880 (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.
  • fedexexpress_002@hotmail.fr (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Harris Williams" <williamsharris1@ig.com.br>
Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 09:39:48 +0200
Subject: I HAVE REGISTERED YOUR CONSIGNMENT WITH FEDEX


*Goodday To You,

We have been waiting for you since to contact us for your Confirmable Bank
Draft of $800,000,00 USD, United States Dollars which my boss kept for you
but we did not hear from you since that time. Then I went to the bank to
confirm if the draft has expired or getting near to expire and Mr. Justin
Yayi the Director of the Bank told me that before the draft will get to
your hand that it will expire.

So I told him to cash the $800,000,00 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 end of August
2008.What you have to do now is to contact the FEDEX EXPRESS COURIER COMPANY
as soon as possible to know when they will deliver your package to you
because of the expiring date.For your information, have paid for the
delivering Charge, Insurance premium.

The only money you will send to the Courier Company 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 Keepin Fees of
the Courier Company so far.Again, don't be deceived by anybody to pay any
other money except $105.00 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 the FEDEX EXPRESS COURIER COMPANY now for the
delivery of your package with this information bellow;

Contact Person: Dr.Ebube Sylvester Harimatsu
Email Address :(**fedexexpress_002@hotmail.fr* <fedexexpress_002@hotmail.fr>
*)
Tel/Fax: +229 9312 1880.

Finally, make sure that you reconfirm your Postal address and Direct
telephone number 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. Let me repeat again, try to
contact them as soon as you receive this email 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 COMPANY don't know the contents of the Box. I
registered it as a BOX of Africa cloths. 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 ok.

I am waiting for your urgent response.

Yours Faithfully,
Mr.Harris Williams.*

**

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam