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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:

Fraud email example:

From: WUMT<contact@minhduongf.com>
Reply-To: unwutaccesss@qq.com
Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2015 05:49:46 +0800
Subject: Transaction #: WUMT-MY7910...

Transaction #: WUMT-MY7910 ( Your Security Code )
Your transaction of 1,500,000.00 USD has been approved by UNITED NATIONS (UN) in their on going poverty alleviation program and we have been instructed to start sending you 7,600.00 USD daily using our Western Union system. Send details Full Name, Address, and Phone Number to Helen Kuan at: Email: wumtcenterpayment@qq.com for more information on your transaction status OR call our 24 hours Helpline +601-126-433-169 for any inquiries.

Yours truly,
Western Union Malaysia

Anti-fraud resources: