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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:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "million us 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)
  • ",000,000" (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)
  • "00,000.00" (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)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • haannt@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Hans Antonio" <haannto2@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:17:30 +0200
Subject: REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE:


Mr. Hans Antonio
Calle Lagasca 18,
Bajo, Madrid Spain.
haannt@yahoo.co.uk

REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE:

Dear Sir/Madam

Accept my deepest apology if I have encroached into your privacy by this
unsolicited correspondence. It is coming to you in view of a circumstantial
inevitability. I am a Senior Accountant in the Madrid office of the Afinsa
Bienes Tangibles, the World's largest Stamp dealer. The Spanish Public
Prosecutor has recently accused the firm of embezzling €1.75bn from almost
143,000 investors in a massive pyramid scheme built on what it considered
worthless stamps. This has really generated great controversy as it is now
considered the biggest scam in the entire Spanish history. See more of the
news here:

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/71e7b35a-e112-11da-90ad-0000779e2340.html

Having worked with the Group for well over Nine years, I see an unfortunate
end to all of us particularly as we were not a party to the said scam
because authority flowed from top to down, and we were always working in
tune with instructions flowing from above. In the bid to survive, I intend
to transfer the sum of eight Million US Dollars ($8,000,000.00) overseas in
an alliance with a few of my colleagues as all we see now is a very bleak
future. This forms the subject matter of this mail.

We have perfected plans to include you as one of the suppliers of raw
materials to our firm with the above sum of money due for transfer over to
you as payment for contracts executed for the Afinsa Group. I am personally
a signatory to Contractor's Fund in a Financial Institution here in Spain
hence it will be very easy to have the money transferred overseas in your
name. We will employ every conceivable legal means to ensure we attain a
hitch – free transfer of the eight Million US Dollars ($8,000,000.00) into
any account you will nominate outside Spain for the purpose of receiving the
fund.

Please reach me for further discussions via email (haannt@yahoo.co.uk) to
enable us discuss on how we will proceed because we have mapped out a
strategy that will enable us transfer the fund overseas within 7 working
days with your cooperation.
Thank you for your attention.

Yours Truly,
Mr. Hans Antonio
haannt@yahoo.co.uk

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam