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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) 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:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "to your nominated bank account" (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)
  • "abuja" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "Senator Richard Abbas" <rabbas2@fastwebmail.it>
Reply-To: s_richardabbas@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:44:49 -0700
Subject: PAYMENT NOTIFICATION.


From The Desk of: Senator Richard Abbas.
Chairman,Senate Committee on Foreign Payment,
Abuja, Nigeria.

Dear Sir / Madam,
I am Senator Richard Abbah Chairman,Senate Committee on Foreign Payment. I
came across your payment file in the course of my duty and discovered that
some HARD COPIES of your Contract documents are not in your file, and
Without these HARD COPIES, YOU WILL NEVE RECEIVE YOUR PAYMENT.

You can agree with me that most of the documents you have ever received are
meanly fax copies and e-mail attachments. Because of this discovery, I took
time to study your payment file carefully and found out that you have paid a
lot of fees/charges over the years in the course of pursuing your payment,
yet your funds has not been paid to you. Most of these fees/charges I found
to be illegal/unofficial.

After a thorough investigation I personally carried out on your payment
file, I discovered to my utmost surprise that YOU ARE A THIRD PARTY
BENEFICIARY IN THE FIRST PLACE. You know I'm saying the truth.

But because you have spent so much over the years, I can make your dream
come true if you will accept my conditions; otherwise you will remain in a
WILD GOOSE CHASE and keep sinking your hard earned money into an endless
hole without success. But with the power vested on me as the Chairman,
Senate Committee on foreign Payment, I know the right direction and button
to press and these fund will be transferred to your nominated bank account.

But we have to discuss in strict confidence first. If you want to know my
conditions, get back to me immediately.

NOTE: If you know that you are a contractor to the Federal Government of
Nigeria and did a contract but never received your payment, please reply to
this E-mail but if you are not, please not reply.

Looking forward to your response.

Yours faithfully,

Senator Richard Abbas.
(Chairman,Senate Committee on Foreign Payment).

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam