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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

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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)
  • "hundred thousand 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)
  • "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • ailmust101@yahoo.fr (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "alimustapha100 Gazeta.pl" <alimustapha100@gazeta.pl>
Date: Tue, 27 May 2008 09:10:47 +0100
Subject: VREY URGENT


My dear Friend,

I am Ali Mustapha, the manager of bill and exchange at the foreign
remittance department of Bank of Africa. In my department we discovered an
abandoned sum of US$12.2M (twelve million, two hundred thousand US dollars)
in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer who died along
with his entire family in August 17, 1999 earth quake in Izmir, Turkey.

Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of
kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release it unless
some body applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as
indicated in our banking guidelines and laws but unfortunately we learning
that all his supposed next of kin or relation died alongside with him in the
earth quake leaving nobody behind for the claim.

It is therefore upon this discovery that I now decided to make this business
proposal to you and for the bank to
release the money to you if you will follow instructions, to be the next of
kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since
nobody is coming for it and I don't want this money to go into the bank
treasury as unclaimed bill. The banking law and guidelines here stipulates
that if such money remained unclaimed after Ten years,the money will be
transferred into the bank treasury as unclaimed bill.

The request of foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by
the fact that the customer was a foreigner and an indigene cannot stand as
next of kin to a foreigner.

I agree that 45% of this money will be for you as respect to the provision
of a foreign account, 5% will be set aside for expenses incurred during the
business and 50% be for me.

Thereafter, I will visit your country for disbursement according to the
percentage indicated. Therefore, to enable the immediate transferof this
fund to you as arranged, you must apply first to the bank as relation or
next of kin of the deceased indicating your bank name, your bank account
number, your private telephone and fax number for easy and effective
communication and location where the money will be transfer to you.

Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or email the text of
the application. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this
transaction is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any atom of fear
as all required arrangements

YOU CAN ALWAYS REACH ME DIRECTLY ON THIS E-MAIL ailmust101@yahoo.fr

Thanks and God bless.
Yours sincerely,
Mr Ali Mustapha

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam