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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
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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:
  • "a security company " (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. Never ever send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally. )
  • "liberia" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
  • "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a orphan scam.

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: georgeabed@live.fr
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2008 08:30:42 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Dear,


Dear,
=C2=A0
First and foremost, I must solicit your strictest confidence in this transa=
ction and I pray that my decision to contact you will be given genuine appr=
oval considering the facts we have not known each other before, I wish to u=
se this opportunity to introduce myself to you.
=C2=A0=20
I am George Abed. From Liberia, West Africa, I write to inform you my desir=
e to invest, and to buy a living house in your country. I am the first chil=
d of Mr. Weah=C2=A0 Abed, he was a diamond/gold merchant in my country, my =
father had a bullet shot by the rebels on his way travelling out of my coun=
try with two of my younger sister's due to present crisis that is occurring=
in my country(Liberia).
=C2=A0
My sister's died on the spot while u.n.peace keeping force rescued my fathe=
r; he was taken to hospital for medical treatment which he later died, befo=
re his untimely death he revealed to me and my mother about the boxes conta=
ining fifteen million, five hundred us dollars ($15.5m) which he deposited =
with a security company in Abidjan cote d'ivoire for safe keeping. My fathe=
r did not disclose the content of the boxes to the security company. To avo=
id the officials from raising eye brows to the funds. Presently I and my mo=
ther are here in Abidjan Cote=C2=A0 d=E6=AE=B5voire to notify the security =
company for the claims, and we are staying in the refugee camp.=20
=C2=A0=20
Therefore I want you to lecture me on how best we can invest this money, be=
cause my father told me that it is dangerous to invest this money in Africa=
to avoid suspicions, and due to market instability coupled with economic a=
nd political instability facing African countries, which is why we want to =
invest in abroad for your mutual assistance, myself and my mother have agre=
ed to offer you 20% of the total amount of the money, we have all the vital=
documents covering the deposit and the ownership which I can send to you u=
pon your request.=20
Thanks,=20
Best regards,
George Abed
=C2=A0=0A=0A=0A

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam