419 Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam (2006-01)

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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "may come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "million us 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)
- "waiting for your urgent response" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: Hassan Azizzi <hassan_azizzi@yahoo.pt>
Reply-To: Hassan Azizzi <hazizzi@barid.com>
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 07:58:03 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: I WISH TO HAVE YOU AS MY GOOD FRIEND/ PARTNER WHOM I CAN HAND OVER
MY FUNDS TO WITH TRUST.

Â Beloved Friend Greetings to you,I know my message may come to you as a surprised please bear with me, because i do not know what to of the i am writing to you now.Â
My Name is Mr. Hassan Azizzi, I am Chief Managing Director and Owner of GLOBAL OIL & GAS in Iraq, because of the on going fighting between the ISIS Â rebels and the Iraqi government we Have Been underÂ house arrest for Months now, and I do not know what the future will be.
I am contacting you for Help, Friendship and business partnership. I really wish to have you as my good friend / partner and I wish to hand over my funds to you on trust, because of the situation of things here in Iraq.
I have $ 16 Million US dollars which I successfully moved out of the country. And need your assistance to be a good partner with me Whom I can trust. It is oil business money we did with the government before the Iraq war commence worth of 48 million US dollars, but the $ 16 million us dollars Stated is my share on the business and it's legal.I have successfully moved the funds out from Iraq.
The most important thing is trust, Can I Trust You in thispartnership? I am willing to offer you 35% of the fund for your role / assistance, while you keep the remaining 65% for me. Once the funds get to you, you take your 35% out and keep my own 65% for me.
All I want you to do is to find a safe place where my part of the funds will be Until I come to meet with you for discussions on investment plans and business partnership, but I have more interest on real estate or any other profitable investment and toenable me move my family to your country too.
Â Send reply to me, and I will furnish you with more details on how to proceed for the transfer of the funds.
The whole process is simple and we must keep a low profile at all times, because the wise ones are the humble ones.I look forward to your reply, I thank you in advance to I anticipate your co-operation waiting for your urgent response.
God Bless you,My Regards.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam