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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:
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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:
  • "any lucrative business in your country" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million united states 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)
  • ",000,000" (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)
  • "00,000.00" (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)
  • "with absolute secrecy" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "dormant account" (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.

Fraud email example:

From: "DrMusa Adamu" <dr.musa_adamu10@mail.mn>
Reply-To: dr.musa_adamu2@hotmail.com
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:47:33 -0700
Subject: FROM DR.MUSA ADAMU


Dear,

I apologize if the contents hereunder are contrary to your moral ethics, but
please treat it with absolute secrecy and personal courtesy. I am Musa
Adamu, an Auditor in a commercial Bank here in England, in the process of
auditing our bank accounts this quarter, I and one of my colleagues recently
discovered that there is a dormant account valued at the sum of
$10,000,000.00 (Ten million united states Dollars) and after due
verification of this account we discovered that the account owner is late
and that is why the account has been dormant and as such a $10,000,000.00
has been lying in the bank unclaimed.

The idea of presenting a foreigner to act as his next of kin came into our
mind as you know the said deceased is a foreigner as well. Hence, that is
how and why we have contacted you to present you as his next of kin, so that
the $10,000.000.00 will be paid to you and we can
both disburse the fund according to the percentage we will agree upon.

In view of this, I am seeking for your co-operation and understanding to
stand as the next of kin to our deceased customer, to enable us claim the
fund from my bank.

Hence, If this proposal is OK by you and you do not wish to take undue
advantage of my trust, then I hope to bestow on you. Please kindly get back
to me immediately, strictly via my private email address only to enable me
enlighten you on how we are to proceed.

On getting your response, we shall agree on the percentage ratio on which we
shall disburse the $10,000,000.00 between us, as we intend to invest part of
our own share in real estate or any lucrative business in your country, and
we would appreciate if you can put us in the right
part where we can invest our own share in your country.

I will not contact any person or company until I hear from you, so as to
enable me decide on what to do next.

Be rest assured that this business is 100% risk free.

We await for your prompt response.

Best Regards,
Dr.Musa Adamu.

NB: PLEASE NOTE THAT IT DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU ARE NOT RELATED TO MY LATE
CUSTOMER; THE FUND WILL STILL BE PAID TO YOU, SINCE WE ARE PRESENTING YOU AS
HIS NEXT OF KIN.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam