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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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• What can you do when you receive 419 spam
  
  
• Spam archive, Daily index
  

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:

• 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 service" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "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 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • +22993580262 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "BASSY WILLIAMS" <bassywilliams20@ig.com.br>
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:18:09 +0200
Subject: I HAVE REGISTERED YOUR CONSIGNMENT WITH FEDEX.


* *

*Hello My Friend, *

*I have been waiting for you since to contact me for your Confirmed Bank
Draft of ($850,000) Eight hundred and fifty thousand *

*U.S Dollars, but I did not hear from you since for a while, Then I went to
the bank to confirm if the draft has expired or *

*getting near to expiring date and Dr.Wilson the Director, Bank of Africa
told me that before the draft will get to your hand *

*that it will expire. So I told him to cash the $850,000 U.S DOLLARS to cash
payment to avoid losing this funds under *

*expiration, As I will be out out of the country for a( 3) three Months
Course and I will not come back till the ending of *

*december 2008.*


*What you have to do now is to contact FEDEX COURIER SERVICES as soon as
possible to know when they will deliver your *

*Consignment to you because of the expiring date. For your information, I
have paid for the delivering Charge, Insurance *

*premium.*


*The only money you will send to the FEDEX COURIER SERVICES to deliver your
Consignment direct to your postal Address in your *

*country is ($150.00 US) One Hundred & Five United States Dollars only being
Security Keeping Fee of the Courier Company so *

*far.Again, don't be deceived by anybody to pay any other money except
$150.00 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 FEDEX COURIER SERVICES now for the delivery of your
Draft with this information bellow; Directors Name: *

*Dr Aminu Yusuf
TEL +229-93 580262
Companys Name:FEDEX COURIER SERVICES *


*Email Address:
(**fed_in_focom_pany200200@live.fr*<fed_in_focom_pany200200@live.fr>
*)
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 mail to avoid any further delay and *

*remember to pay them their Security Keeping fee of $150.00 US Dollars for
their immediate action.*


*Note this. The FEDEX COURIER SERVICES don't know the contents of the Box. I
registered it as a BOX of Africa cloths. They did *

*not know that the contents was money. this is to avoid them delaying with
the BOX. Don't let them know that the box contents *

*is money ok. *

*I am waiting for your urgent response. *

*Yours Faithfully,*

*Bassy Williams,*

*
*

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam