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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
  • "cheques " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash)
• 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.
  • +22995160598 (Benin, probably a 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.
  • wami_agent@yahoo.fr (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: West African Monitoring Institution African Union <wami_agent@yahoo.fr>
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 22:46:56 +0100 (CET)
Subject: VALUED ATTENTION FROM WEST AFRICAN MONITORING INSTITUTION(W.A.M.I)COTONOU, BENIN REPUBLIC.


WEST AFRICAN MONITORING INSTITUTION(W.A.M.I)
COTONOU, BENIN REPUBLIC.
TEL: +229 95 16 05 98
EMAIL: wami_agent@yahoo.fr.

Valued Attention .

I resumed duty recently as policy harmonization chairman on public debt, a committee set up by West African Monitoring Institution (WAMI) under the able presidency of the African Union (AU) Cotonou, Benin Chapter. My office monitors and controls the affairs of all banks and financial institutions here in Africa that is to tell you that I am committed to upholding and defending the constitution and laws of West African Monitoring Institution (WAMI) as well as acheiving a higher level of public safety and security through the prosecution of criminals in West Africa.

The purpose of the committee among others is to investigate, verify and settle all outstanding total pending payment owned and Records before me have revealed that your payment has not beeneffected as a result of official negligence as your fund has been identified either as ghost file, unclaimed deposits, and over-invoiced sum etc; this is due to many abnormalities that happened in the institutions where some top official of the Apex Banks are interested in your payment and they collaborate with impostors who are carrying a fake portfolios with levies misled and misguided about the position of your fund and having the opportunity to extort money from you that made it too longer up till date. That explains why you receive different kinds of untrue emails and phone call from different people everyday. So, be inform that we have concluded all the necessary arrangement towards the release of your payment but due to the prevailing situation worldwide on cash movement and
transfer of hug sum of money, your payment has since being deposited with our (OFF-SHORE PAYMENT CENTRE) AFFILIATED TO WORLD ASSOCIATIONS OF DEBT MANAGEMENT OFFICES of the BANK OFAMERICA.

Base on the information we received from our paying office today, as the truthfully beneficiary of this payment, you are responsible to pay $145.00 for your NON IMMIGRANT TRANSIT TAX as the authorities demanded which we described as selective payment to enable the programming of the information in the micro chip compartment which will comply with the Bank of America to effect the transfer of your fund exactly on the particular date and period (24 hours) specified in the transfer script text for the fund to be made available to you anyway you wish to receive it. Please re-confirm your names, current address and telephone numbers to us upon the receipt of this message.

So that we can advice you on how to send the money across to enable us finalise this transfer this week.Your payment shall be made as soon as this information needed from you is submitted through our paying office by wire transfer or by a certify bank bond America Express Cheques allthe transfer charges will be deducted from your total sum as long as you send the $145.00 for the programming of the information. The Consequences of not adhering to this warning would be ours. Considering the Circumstances at hand, you are advice not to accept any E-mail telephone calls that does not come from this office in regards to your payment. This is to forestall new effort towards a diversion of your payment.

Accept our congratulations in advance.

Best regards,
Gen.Joseph Kone Guei.
Policy Harmonization Chairman
West African Monitoring Institution
Cotonou, Republic Du Benin.


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam