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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:
  • "i will like you to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "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)
  • "foreign exchange" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
  • "god fearing " (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
• 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.
  • alfred_sheyi@myway.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "alfred sheyi" <alfred_sheyi11@gazeta.pl>
Reply-To: alfred_sheyi@myway.com
Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2008 11:55:55 +0000
Subject: URGENT RESPOND NEEDED


>From Mr Alfred Sheyi
Chife bill exchange manager,
Atlantique Bank, Burkina Faso
phone;+226 78051223

Attn:- Sir/Madam,

How are you and how about your family? Hope fine, Meanwhile, I am Mr.Alfred
Sheyi, the chief billing exchange accountant manager of Atlantique Bank
ouaga,bf West Africa. I am contacting you for anurgent business
transaction. There is an account open in this bank in 1999 and since 2001
nobody has operated on this account again. After going through some old
files in the records, I discovered that if I do not remit this money out
urgently, it would be forfeited fornothing.
The owner of this account is Mr Raymond Becks, a foreigner, and a miner at
Kruger Gold Company, a Geologist by profession and he died since 2000. No
other person knows this account or anything concerning the fund, the
account has no other beneficiary and my investigation proved to me aswell
thatthis company does not know anything about this account and the money
involved is ten Million United States Dollars $10,000.000.00 Million only.
I am only contacting you as a foreigner because this money cannot be
approved to a local bank here in Burkina Faso, but can only be approved to
any foreign account because the money is in United States Dollars and the
former owner Mr.RAYMOND BECK is a foreigner too. I know that this message
will come to you as surprise as we don't know ourselves before.
My dear, be sure that this is a real and genuine business transaction. I
only got your contact information from my secretary who operates computer,
with believe in God that you will never let me down in this business,
considering my position as a public servant, You are the only person
that I have contacted you in this business, so please reply urgently so that
I will inform you the next step to take immediately.
You will only need you to send your private telephone and fax numbers
includingthe full details of your account information to be used for the
deposit. And I will fly to your country for withdrawal and sharing and for
other investment in your kind control, Meanwhile, I am contacting you
because of the need to involve a foreigner with foreign account and foreign
beneficiary.
I need your full co-operation to make this work fine because the
management is ready to approve this payment to any foreigner who has correct
information of this account, which I will give to you as soon as you
indicate your sincerity to co-operate with me, and capability to handle such
amount in sinceririty ofpurpose and strict/confidence and trust according to
my instruction and advice for our mutual benefit because this opportunity
may never come again inmy life.
I also need a truthful and God fearing person in this business because I
don't want to make a mistake so I need your strong assurance and trust.With
my position in the office I don't want anything that will jeopardize my
job,so I advice that we should make secrecy and confidentiality as our
primary working condition, bearing in mind that I am a public servant.
I will use my position and influence to effect legal approvals and
onward transfer of this money to your account with appropriate clearance
forms of the ministries and foreign exchange department. At the conclusion
of this business, you will be giving 35% of the total amount, 60% will be
for me, while 5% will be for expenses both parties might have incurred on
the process of the transfer. I look forward to your earliest reply,Please i
will like you to reply me with this address: alfred_sheyi@myway.com.

Yours sincerely,
MR. ALFRED SHEYI

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam