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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:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
• Support our efforts to stop scams!
  
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• What can you do when you receive 419 spam
  
  
• Spam archive, Daily index
  

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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "courier service" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• 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.
  • +22993997638 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)
  • +22997572729 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Date: Fri, 07 Nov 2008 21:18:42 +0100
Subject: CONTACT THE COURIER COMPANY IMMEDIATELY





Attn,
I have waited enough to send your cheque bank draf $980,000.00 united sta=
te US dollars but i did not hear from you since ,and the time the bank dr=
aft will be expired is getting near, I finally arranged with the bank man=
ger of FINACIAL TRUST BANK BENIN REPUBLIC MR PHILIP AMAGA and he has cove=
rted the bank draft into cash payemt and package it in a diplomatic box t=
he arrangement has been finalized with UNIVERSAL EXPRESS DELIVERY COURIER=
COMPANY THE RELIABLE DELIVERY SYSTEM to send the package through diploma=
tic courier service i have contacted them and they told me that you shoul=
d forward all this information below to them.Please carefully confirm you=
r full house address, your private mobial phone number and send it to the=
m to avoid wrong delivery of the consignmet to your doorstep.
FIRST NAME .......................
LAST NAME ...........................
OCCUPATION.............................
YOUR HOUSE ADDRESS...............
AGE..................................
YOUR PICTURE. ...........................
YOUR NEXT OF KIN .........................
TELPHONE NUMBER......................
FAX NUMBER...............................
HOUSE ADDRESS ...................................
NEAREST AIR PORT ...................................
PROOF OF IDENTIFICATION : (PASSPORT OR DRIVES' LICENSE=C2=A0 ............=
.......................
Also remember that they did not know the content of the box I registered =
it as an Africa cloths. They don't know that it contents money. this is t=
o avoid them delaying with the delivery of the box to you .i don't want y=
ou to let them know that the content of the box is money.
JUST FEEL FREE AND CONTACT THEM WITH THIS EMAIL=20
universal_express@live.fr=C2=A0=20
univesralexpress@live.fr=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=20
BATCH NO AX077
SHIPPMENT CODE 33XZS
THE AIRWAY BILL NUMBER.GX243KR=20
CONSIGNMENT REGISTERED CODE NO XGT442.
SECURITY CODE NO SCT/2071DHX3
CONTACT PERSON /MR VICTOR ADA.
ADDRESS NO5 AKPAKPA WHTIE HOUSE BULIDING 9TH=C2=A0 FLOOR BENIN REPUBLIC.
TEL PHONE NUMBER..+229-93997638 OR +22997572729
BEST REGARS,
CHRIS IBOTAA ESQ

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam