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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "foreign remittance manager" (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)
  • "waiting for your urgent response" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "urgent assistance" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "ecowas " (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +2289260640 (Togo, probably a prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • kflarry@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Koffi Larry" <kflarry32@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:36:15 +0200
Subject: FROM MR.KOFFI LARRY


FROM MR.KOFFI LARRY.
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT.
FOREIGN OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT.
ECOWAS BANK FOR INVESTMENT & DEVELOPMENT
128,BOULEVARD DU 13 JANVIER,BP,2704 LOME - TOGO.

Dear Friend,
STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL
I know that this mail will come to you as a surprise as we never met before.
I am the FOREIGN REMITTANCE MANAGER of ECOWAS Bank For Investment &
Development, Lome-Togo, I Hoped that you will not expose or betray this
trust and confident that I am about to repose on you for the mutual benefit
of our both families. I need your urgent assistance in transferring the sum
of (US$10.5M),Ten Million Five Thousand United States Dollars immediately to
your account. The money has been dormant (in-active) for long in our Bank
here without any body coming for it.

I want to release the money to you as the nearest person to our deceased
customer Mr Gabani Badran from Albanian the owner of the account who died a
long with his supposed next of kin in plane crash since 31st OCTOBER 1999. I
don't want the money to go into our Bank treasury bank account as an
abandoned fund, so this is the reason why I contacted you, so that my Bank
will release the money to you as the nearest person to the deceased cutomer.
Please I would like you to keep this proposal as a top secret and delete it
if you are not interested.

Upon receipt of your reply, I will send you full details on how the
business will be executed and also note that you will have 40% of the above
mentioned amount if you agree to help me execute this business.

This is my phone number +228-926-06-40 and always contact me on my direct
email:- *kflarry@gmail.com*

Thanks and waiting for your urgent response,

Best Regards

Mr. Koffi Larry.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam