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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:09:06 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: I Believe God has asked me to contact you.


Dear Sir/Madam,
 
 
      I have come to you with open heart because I believe God has asked me to contact you.We've not met before but I really don't know why I have been asked to send this message to you.One wrong act in my life especially at this point in time is capable of destroying my glorious destiny that is why I did not harden my heart from writing you.
 
My Name is Johnson Moore,Adopted son of Mr and Mrs Pius Moore who was the director of SONACOP PETROLEUM COMPANY while my Mum was a successful business woman before their untimely death five months ago which is still a great shock to me till now even though I am still mourning their death.I must be proud to say that my parents where very rich before their death.
 
With the sudden death of my parents,I got to understand that death speaks sometimes to it's victim before it finally struck.
 
Two days before my parents died,they called me and told me that if anything should happen to them that I must not fight over their belongings with the family members because they have already made proper provision for my future knowing the kind  of family my dad came from since they do not have any child of their own and as adopted child they will not give me any inheritance of theirs as that was the tradition.
 
I was made to know that they have already paid in the sum of $1.5M in my name with one of the banks here in Cotonou Benin Republic and I can only have right to the said sum once I am 28years of age and matured enough to handle matters on my own and the money is in a fix deposit account.
 
My parents died two days after I was told about the money they deposited for me. Now that they are dead,I am been asked to leave the house by the relations of my Dad and I have no one to run to.
 
I have been staying with a friend of mine from School but things are not easy for them either and I see myself as a burden to them.
 
Life can be so cruel for I never felt the pain of been an adopted child not until the death of my parents.After much suffering,I now decided to visit the Bank where my parents told me that they made the deposit for me to find out if truly such amount do really exist for me because i have really gone through a lot since the past five months now.
 
To my greatest surprise,the bank manager confirmed to me that the said amount really exist.After narrating my stories to the bank manager and all that I have passed through since the death of my parents,he really felt for me.
 
I then asked him the chances that I have to touch my money and he says none at the moment that the agreement was that I must reach the age of 28years before I can be able to have full control of the money and I am only 24years and cannot continue like this for the next four years.
 
He says that the only thing that he will do for me is this,if I can be able to find someone that I can trust who will stand as my guardian now that my parents are dead who the bank can release the said fund to that the fund will be released to such a person not minding the nationality of the person.
 
Since I don't have anybody to run to and I can never go back to those wicked people that drove me away from parents house for help if not they will surely kill me for the money.
 
I now seek your godly consent to stand as my guardian as I will be introducing you to the bank as my late fathers foreign associate and guardian on the condition that you take me as your child and take care of my education for the dream of my parents to come to pass that i have a better future.
 
You can invest the money in any business of your choice.
If you find it in your heart to assist me,Please do acknowledge.
Email: theonlysonjohnsonmoore@live.fr
 
God Bless.
 
Johnson Moore.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam