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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:
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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:
  • "huge sum of money" (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)
  • "30% for you " (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 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.
  • t.zubairu@fastermail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Eng. Tanko Zubairu" <t.zubairu@yahoo.co.uk> (may be fake)
Reply-To: t.zubairu@fastermail.com
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 21:48:32 +0400
Subject: greetings.

Eng. Tanko Zubairu
Petroleum Research Unit
Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation

Good day Sir/Madam,

I am Eng. Tanko Zubairu and presently the Director General of Petroleum Research Unit.

I am due for retirement within the next few months and I need your help to claim the sum of US 25.5 million deposited in a floating account with a finance institution. In the past few years, government had approved huge sum of money for us to carry out researches. We therefore awarded lots of contracts in which we used our position to inflate some of the contracts. The inflated amount is deposited in a floating account waiting to be claimed.

As civil servants, we are not allowed to transfer money abroad. Also, we cannot lay claim to such huge amount from the bank here. Therefore, we need you (a foreigner) to come forward and claim this money on our behalf. When this money comes to you, we shall come over for sharing and investment. We shall share the money as follows: 30% for you for providing assistance and 60% for us and 10% will be set aside for expenses that might be incurred locally here and internationally from your side during the course of this process. Please take note that the nature of your business has nothing to do with this proposal.

The modality is that you will be presented as a contractor or who has already executed a contract and request for payment. Application for payment will then be made in your name. Everything is already mapped out to avoid any hitch. There is no risk in this deal but has to be kept very confidential by both parties.

If you are interested, please do reply and do not hesitate to ask for further explanation if you so need.

Thanking you for your expected co-operation and immediate response at my alternate (secured) email account: t.zubairu@fastermail.com <mailto:t.zubairu@fastermail.com>

Yours sincerely,

Eng. Tanko Zubairu
Petroleum Research Unit
Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam