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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:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "a security company " (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. Never ever send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally. )
  • "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)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • riverajohnson@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "riverajohnson1 Gazeta.pl" <riverajohnson1@gazeta.pl>
Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:06:12 +0200
Subject: Good luck to this message


Dear Sir/Madam

My name is Rivera Johnson, I am a girl of 18 years old, my younger brother
is 14 years of age. We both are citizens of Czech Republic.We lost our
parents in an auto crash accident 1994, I and my brother have since stayed
in an orphanage home in my country.
I am now in the Republic of Benin with the intention of retrieving my late
father funds and precious stones from a security company that he saved while
he worked in Benin as a railway contractor in 1990- 1992, two years before
his untimely death in 1994.

Before my dad passed away, he willed all his property to me and my brother
but gave instructions that his wealth should not be released to us till we
reach 18 years of age, so I just received the documents he signed with the
security company in Benin from the daughter of my late dad's attorney
stating that my late father kept the sum of USD50 million United States
Dollars for safe keeping in the security company. EMS OFFSHORE SECURITY
Company is the name of the Security institute.

Everything there has been confirmed intact.I contacted you because your
contact was traced from my dad's directory. The reason I need your help is
that, the security company ask me to provide a relation or trusted person
that is aged and will stand as guarantor and to retrieve the valuable.

The African adult age is 20 which makes me not matured yet to recieve it. I
want to attain positive result on this soon because my brother is in a
critical stage back at home. And if our government knows about this it will
raise eye balls on us regarding the sum.

I do not have anyone I can trust that is why i am reaching you and my late
father's attorney is late too. You are my only hope of getting this funds
and precious stones, so please do not let me down. All that is needed is
your full contact details and your banking details to enable the security
company make the transfer directly to you and the precious stones could be
shipped to your country which I would come with. 25% of the total money and
precious stone will be given to you as compensation for your assistance. I
and my brother would get the remaining 75% from the whole funds and precious
stones. I would then seek for your assistance in investment, me and my
brother have suffered a lot and I would not wish for such to return back
into our lives. You can get back to me with this same e-mail. I would be
expecting to hear back from you as soon as possible if or if not you are
willing to help us out.
Yours Sincerely,

Rivera Johnson.

Email; riverajohnson@hotmail.com

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam