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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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "deadline" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "fred_brown2 Gazeta.pl" <fred_brown2@gazeta.pl>
Reply-To: mail2harmony@oued.org
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2008 02:55:55 -0800
Subject: your attention


*Dear Friend,*

*With due respect to your person, I kindly wish to ask for your attention
and consideration just for a while. I know this is certainly not the
appropriate channel to contact you but situation necessitated this
medium.However, I am sincerely sorry for any inconveniency this may cost
you.*

*I am a senior staff of ZMB LONDON, and I have a business opportunity to
propose to you which would be of mutual benefit to both parties if
carefully executed.*

*I am the account officer and personal friend to William Wise who died in
the July 2004 London bomb blast. William Wise was a good client of my
bank, before he was killed* in the 2004 London bomb blast; he however has a
deposit of Nine million two hundred thousand British Pounds (2.5 Million
GBP) with the bank and his family are not aware of this particular account
due to the perennial crisis in his marital life. As his close confidant and
an account officer, he warned me on the implication of letting any
member of his family have knowledge of his deposit with our bank.

For more details and confirmation please try and visit this site below for
clarification: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4738131.stm

Based on the afore-mentioned, I am craving your cooperation to claim this
money for our own personal use. All I need to do is to present you as the
partner and next of kin to the deceased. The bank would transfer the fund to
you as the beneficiary for our mutual benefit.

Please note the urgency in this transaction and respond swiftly so that we
can beat their deadline. Please have no fear for I assure you that all
relevant documents needed to make this deal successful shall be forward to
you as soon as I receive a positive response from you. Note that we need
collaborative approach to make this deal successful.

I believe strongly that if diligently and judiciously executed, it would be
of mutual benefit to both parties. Waiting earnestly for your response.
Best regard,
Fred Brown

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam