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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:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "death certificate" (this phrase is often used in inheritance scams such as next of kin or https://www.419scam.org/419-murdered-businessman.htm">orphan scams. )
  • "million 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)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • +2348053876350 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • gkolesmith38@yahoo.com
  • email.smith.kole95@yahoo.com

Fraud email example:

From: =?big5?q?Kole=20Smith?= <kolesmith38@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: skole59@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 2009 19:39:13 +0800 (HKT)
Subject: CONFIRMATION OF INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DEATH


§Ú¦³·sªº¹q¶l¦a§}¡I§A²{¥i¹q¶lµ¹§Ú¡Gkolesmith38@yahoo.com



- From the desk of, SMITH KOLE Director Foreign Operations Dept. Sir/Madam We are obliged to inform you that after we have completed the process of releasing your funds (us$10.5 million dollars ) to you, we now received a Death Certificate, certifying that you were dead according to one Mr. David Jones, who claims to be your representative, and he has requested that your funds should be transferred to a Swiss account he provided. But however, due to the suspicious nature of his claims, we therefore decided to write you to know if really you were dead as said by the so called Mr. David Jones. So please if you were still alive, you should provide the following information for us to be sure. 1) Your full name 2) Your residential addres 3) Your telephone number 4) Your occupation Be notified that if we do not hear from you within the next 7 days, we shall assume you were dead as claimed by your representative, and we would then transfer the funds to his Swiss account as he desire. All the obligations have been met and the funds are ready for transfer to the account now.Awaiting your urgent response to this effect. Yours faithfully. SMITH KOLE. TEL:234-8053876350 Email.smith.kole95@yahoo.com

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam