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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.

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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "lome togo" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• 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.
  • collins3325@yahoo.ca (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "collinsmike Gazeta.pl" <collinsmike@gazeta.pl>
Date: Wed, 28 May 2008 16:06:46 +0200
Subject: For Our Mutual Benefit!!!


FROM THE DESK OF DR.COLLINS MIKE
AUDIT DIRECTOR FINANCIAL BANK PLC
00228-924-3848
LOME

Dear Friend,

My name is Dr.Collins Mike, an audit officer in Financial Bank LOME TOGO I
am writing to you following an opportunity in my office that will be of
immense benefit to both of us.

In my department wediscovered an abandoned sum of 6.5 Million Euros (Six
Million Five Hundred thousand Euros) in an account that belong to one of our
foreign customers Late Mr.Frederick M. Slee, an American who unfortunately
lost his life in the plane crash of Egyptian flight 990 which crashed on
31st October 1999, including his wife and only daughter. You can read
moreabout the crash by visiting this site which I got during my
investigation, please try to go through the site.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/502503.stm

Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of
kin or relatives to come over and claim his money because we can not release
it unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased
as indicated in our banking guidelines.

Unfortunately i learnt that his supposed next of kin being his only adopted
daughter died along with him in the plane crash leaving nobody with the
knowledge of this fund behind for the claim. It is therefore upon this
discovery that I and two other officials in this department now decided to
carry out this transfer with you and release the money to you as the next of
kin or beneficiary of the funds for safe keeping and subsequent
disbursementsince nobody is coming for it.

We do not want this money to go back into Government treasury as unclaimed
bill. The banking law and guidelines here stipulates that if such money
remains unclaimed after Eight years the money will be transferred into
banking treasury asunclaimed funds.

We agreed that 35% of this money will be for you as foreign partner, while
the balance will be for my colleagues and me. I will visit your country for
the disbursement according to the percentages indicated above once this fund
gets into your hands and please be honest with me.

Note this transaction is confidential and risk free. As soon as you receive
this message, you should contact me immediately and please note that all
necessary arrangement for the smooth release of these funds to you has been
finalized. We will discuss much in details when I do receive your response.

Contact Dr Collins Mke Through
collins3325@yahoo.ca
00228-924-3848

Regards,
Dr.Collins Mike,
Audit officer Financial Bank
Lome.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam