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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:
  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:

• 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:
  • "million united state 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)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
  • "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
  • "lome togo" (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.
  
• 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.
  • mary.christopher308@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: <mary.christopher308@centrum.cz>
Date: Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:27:22 +0200
Subject: HELP THE KIDS


HELP THE KIDS
FROM Miss Mary CHRISTOPHER
Email; mary.christopher308@gmail.com

Dear respectful one,

 I feel good contacting you today I have read from your add in Internet knowing quiet well that this contact will bring a lasting relationship.With regard to your reputation and co-worshipper of God who will not disappoint me nor deny me in faith, I am directing this letter of assistance to you.I am Mary CHRISTOPHER,the only daughter of Mr.Ben Christopher from Republic of Zimbabwe in desire to get somebody who will safe guard my interest, that of my junior brother (Michael) and this money. Briefly, our father Mr. Christopher was a Gold and Cocoa merchant who based in Lome Togo, Abidjan cote d'Ivoire, and had a branch office in Accra Ghana also in Europe.My father was a wealthy Gold/Cocoa merchant who has business in many countries in Europe, America and Asian countries. According to my father, my own mother Died when I was about six years of age, which means that I did not even know my mother very well.

The story is that my father Mr. Christopher was poisoned to death by his business associates about seven months ago, and he died in a private hospital here in Benin Republic.But when he was about to die, he called us beside his sick bed and told us that he deposited the sum of Five Million United State Dollars (US$5.M) with a local finance company there in Cotouon, the economic and administrative capital of Republic of Benin.This money was kept for us in my name, his only daughter.

Right now I am a first year student of business management in one of the University here. My only problem now is that since my father has been poisoned to death by his business Associates, I don't even trust any other person here again including my father's brothers and sisters.You are going to receive 15% of the total sum for providing a bank account for this transfer.We hope to receive your early response, as it will encourage us, to stop establishing further contacts as it regards to this subject matters,For your information, this place we staying now is a House of a church sister who saw our condition and Decided to house us for a while here in london becuase we have to laeve our family home so that nobody will know any thing about this transaction.

Waiting to hear from you soon, Thanks for your understanding,

Miss. Mary CHRISTOPHER,
Pls reply with my private email:mary.christopher308@gmail.com

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam