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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery 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:
  • "hundred thousand 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)
  • "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)
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
  • "federal republic of benin" (Benin, Cameroon, etc. are no Federal Republics, unlike Nigeria where this type of scam was invented)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: churchillfrank <frankchurchill02@yp.com.hk>
Reply-To: drfrankchurchill75@hotmail.fr
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:39:26 +0000
Subject: DEAREST Friend,I wait to hear from you soon



FROM DR.FRANK CHURCHILL.
DIRECTOR INCHARGE OF
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT,
CONTINENTAL BANK,
COTONOU-BENIN REPUBLIC

DEAREST Friend,

Good day to you.it's my Pleasure writing to you at this moment of the
day,I am DR.FRANK CHURCHILL the director IN CHARGE of auditing and
accounting Unit of Continental Bank in Cotonou-Benin Republic. I and
my colleagues deem it fit to contact you regarding to a mutual benefit
transaction that will favour both of us at the end, and i got your
contact in my search for a reputable and reliable person that will not
betray us who will to help us claim the fund in question.

We discovered the sum of Eight Million One Hundred Thousand United
States Dollars (USD $ 8.1M ) belonging to a deceased customer of this
our bank.The fund has been lying in a suspence account without any
body coming to put claim over the money since the account owner late
Mr. Mohamed Mohd from libanon, who was involved in theDecember 25th
Benin plane crash here in cotonou. For only your secret viewing here
is the air crash website;
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/12/26/benin.crash/index.html .
The said fund is now ready for transfer to a foriegn account whose
owner will be portrayed as the beneficiary and next of kin to the
deceased customer of the bank.

The foriegn account owner will impost himself as the next of kin to
the deceased and respond positively like a true next of kin who wishes
to speed up the release and transfer of his inherited fund which
belong to your late relative name mentioned above.If the over due fund
if not claimed by the end of this quarter, the government of the
Federal Republic of Benin will take over the ownership of the fund in
line with the Federal Edict Act of 1979. We do not want the government
to take over the ownership of this money,that is why I contacted you
for us to do the deal together confidential,so that we will portray
you as the bonafide next ofkin and beneficiary to the deceased fund
whose name is Mr. Mohamed mohd.

If you accept to carry out this project with us, we will offer you 30%
of the total sum, while I and my colleagues involved will take 60% of
the total sum upon your acceptance to do this deal with us,we will
jointly effect the transfer within seven working days.

Be rest assured that, this transaction carries no risk-100% risk free
but only the above mentioned roles and normally you will be required
to maintain absolute information and absolute secrecy throughout the
duration of this transaction,because discussing it with a third party
might jeopardise all our plans and the entire business transaction.
Please if you are very much interested to handle this project with me
then reply immediately.

I am looking forward to receiving your interesting response on this
project as this will greatly enrich the both of us and we will
establish a long lasting relationship which willextend to our children
and our generations to come at the end as we wish to invest in your
country our own share.Again I kindly wait urgently for your positive
response,because i count on you sincerely with all my heart to
actualise this golden dream to a reality with you successfully in one
accord.Please keep this deal between us a top secret.
Have a wonderful day and remain bless.

Best Regards,
DR.FRANK CHURCHILL.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam