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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:

• 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)
  • "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.

Fraud email example:

From: "musa sani" <musa_sani200@unimail.mn>
Reply-To: musa2_sani@yahoo.fr
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:17:53 +0200
Subject: URGENT REPLY PLS

*FROM THE DESK OF MR.MUSA SANI
BILL AND EXCHANGE MANAGER,
BANQUE COMMERCIAL DU BURKINA-FASO
OUAGADOUGOU,

Dear Friend
I am the manager of bill and exchange at the foreign remittance department
of banque commercial du burkina(B.C.B) here in Ouagadougou,Burkina Faso.*
*In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of US$12.5mdollars in an
account belonging to one of our foreign customer.Who died alongside with his
entire family on Monday, 31 July, 2000 in a plane crash in paris.Please
visit this site that is one of the evidence the directors brought in other
to swallow the money at the end of the day,*
*http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm*<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm>
*"
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 guidlings and laws but unfortunately we learnt that
all his supposed next of kin or relation died alongside with him at the
plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim. *
*It is therefore upon this discovery that I and my colleagues decided to
make this business proposal to you and release the money to you as the next
of kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement
since nobody is coming for it and we don't want this money to go into the
bank treasury as unclaimed bill. *
*The banking law and guidline here stipulates that if such money remained
unclaimed after five years, the money will be transfered into the bank
treasury as unclaimed fund. The request of foreigner as next of kin in this
business is occassioned by the fact that the customerwas a foreigner and a
Burkinabe cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner. *
*we agree that 30% of this money will be for you as a respect to the
provision of a foriegn account ,10% will be set aside for expenses incurred
during the business and 60% would be for
me and my colleagues. *
*Thereafter, we will visit your country for disbursement according to the
percentage indicated Therefore, to enable the immediate transfer of this
fund to your desiggnited bank account ,you must apply first to the bank as a
relation or next of kin of the deceased with a text of application that we
will send to you,so we will like you to send to us your private telephone
and fax number for easy and effective communication and location where in
the money will be remitted. *
*Upon receipt of your reply, we will send to you by fax or email the text
of the application . we 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 have been made for the transfer. You should
contact us immediately as soon as you receive this letter. *
*Trusting to hear from you immediately
MR.MUSA SANI
Bill and exchange manager,
BANQUE COMMERCIAL DU BURKINA(B.C.B)
1) Your Full Name..............................
2) Your Age..........................................
3) Marital Status..................................
4) Your Phone Number¡K¡K¡K¡K¡K.
5) Your Fax Numbers¡K¡K¡K¡K¡K¡K.
6) Your Country¡K¡K¡K¡K¡K¡K...........
7) Your Occupation.............................
8) Sex..................................................
9) Your Religion................................... *
* *
* *

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam