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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

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.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

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:

Fraud email example:

From: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Western_Union_=AE?= <helassa1001@gmail.com>
Reply-To: westernuniotrnas@postafiok.hu
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:18:17 +0100
Subject: YOU WON US$2,800,000.00 via WESTERN UNION.

Hello,


We are here to notify you that the sum of US$2,800,000.00 was
generated and awarded to you by the United Arab Emirates, West Africa
commission and the Western Union Foundation as one of the customers
who uses Western Union in their business transaction.

This award was been selected through the internet, where your e-mail
address was indicated and notified.The Western Union Foundation and
the United Arab Emirates commission collects all the email addresses
of the people that are active online,among the millions of our
customers who use Western Union in their business transactions. Four
people are selected yearly to benefit from this promotion and you are
one of the Selected Winners.

Therefore,be informed that we have already sent you $10,000
U.S.Dollars through Western union as we have been given the mandate to
transfer your full payment total sum of US$2,800,000.00 U.S.Dollars
via western union.

We tried several times to reach you through phone and give you the
payment information through phone but all our effort were to no avail.
Now,The first $10,000 US. Dollars has already been sent to you today.
As We have concluded to effect your payment through western union.You
will be picking up $10,000 daily until the $2,800.000.00 is completed.

So,contact the Western union Agent: Mr. Vincent Rex. His Tel: +226 75
74 72 83 E-mail:(westernuniotrnas1@postafiok.hu) Tell him to give you
the MTCN number ,Sender name,text Question and answer to pick up your
first payment of $10,000.Dollar. You will pay him $210 dollars for the
processing of the payment before he will give you the information to
pick up your first payment of $10,000.00.dollar.

You can also ask him to send to you a proof, the ownership certificate
of the Funds. It is for you to be sure that the funds belong to you.

Make sure you send the following information to the western union
office to enable them verify and be sure that you are the real
beneficiary:

Your Full name:
Home Address:
City:
Country:
Phone number:
Occupation:
Age:

The only money you will pay to the Western Union office is $210
dollars and he will release the MTCN number ,Sender name,text Question
and answer to you to pick up your first payment.As beneficiary will be
required to pay for the Processing of the payment before the release
of the full payment information.Please Bear this in mind before
forwarding your information to him.

Please,contact Mr.Vincent Rex of the western Union office now so that
he will issue to you the full payment information after you might have
paid the $210 dollars for the processing of the payment.Again,the
below is his email address (westernuniotrnas1@postafiok.hu).

Yours Faithfully,
William Edwards
Awards Coordinator United Arab Emirate Commission/WEST AFRICA AND
Western Union Foundation
De-facto Chief Award Officer
United Emirate Award Committee
West Africa Award Committee
Mr. Ban Ki-moon.

Anti-fraud resources: