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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:

• 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:
  • "necessary legal documents" (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. )
  • "greater london" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million 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 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.
  • patrick.williams27@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Patrick Williams" <patrickwilliams@fastwebmail.it>
Reply-To: patrick.williams27@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:39:32 -0700
Subject: From Patrick Williams_______Get Back To Me


Dearest,

I am Patrick Williams from Harlsden, North West London, here in England. I
work in one of the banks in united kingdom. I am writing you from my office
that will be of an inmense benefit for both of us. In my department, being
the Assistant Manager (Greater London Regional
Office), I discovered an abandoned Entity in an account that belongs to one
of our foreign customer Late Mr.Morrison Thompson who unfortunately lost
his life in the plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 which crashed on
January 31 2000, including his wife and only daughter.

You shall read more about the crash on visiting this site.
http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/02/01/alaska.airline s.lis t/

The choice of contacting you is aroused from the geographical nature of
where you live, particularly due to the sensivity of the transaction.and the
confidentiality herein. Now our bank has been waiting for any of the
relatives to come-up for the claim but nobody has done that. I personally
has been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for 2 years now.

I seek your consent to present you as the Next-of-Kin/Will Beneficiary to
the deceased so that the proceeds of this account valued at 12.5 Million
Dollars can be paid to you. This will be disbursed or shared in these
percentages - 60% to me and 40% to you. I have secured all necessary legal
documents that can be used to
back up this claim we are making.
All I need is to fill in your names to the documents and legalise it in the
court here to prove you as the legitimate beneficiary. All I require now is
your honest Co-operation, Confi dent iality and Trust to enable us see this
transaction through. I guarantee you that this will be executed under a
legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law.

Please, provide me the following: this is urgent please.
1. Your Full Name:
2. Your Phone Number:
3. Your Contact Address:
4. Your Proffession:
5. Your Age:

Having gone through a methodical search, I decided to contact you hoping
that you will find this proposal interesting. Please on your confirmation of
this message and indicating your interest, I will furnish you with more
information. Endeavor to let me know your decision rather than keep me
waiting.
Please get back to me at my private email: (patrick.williams27@yahoo.com)

Best regards,
Patrick Williams

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam