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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "you will be entitled to 30%" (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)
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "Philip Akwue" <akwue78@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: akwue11@gmail.com
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 06:21:10 +0100
Subject: My Dear,


Mr.PHILIP AKWUE,
AUDIT AND ACCOUNTS UNIT,
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK ,
COTONU,REPUBLIC OF BENIN
WEST AFRICA
MY NUMBER IS 00229 97378615
..
STRICTLY PERSONAL.

My Dear,

With due respect,I am Mr.PHILIP AKWUE,the director in charge of audit and
accounts unit,foreign remittance dept. of the AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
(ADB),COTONOU, REPUBLIC OF BENIN IN WEST AFRICA. I decided to contact you
for a beneficial and risk-free business transaction.

During our auditing and investigations in this bank,my department came
across the sum of FIFTEEN MILLION,FIVE HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND UNITED
STATES DOLLARS (US$15,520,000.00)only belonging to an international business
man who died along with his family on the 31st October 1999 in a plane
crash,in an Egyptian airline(Egypt - Air- 990) with other passengers on
board.You can confirm this from the website below which was published by
CNN.http:(//www.cnn.com/2002/US/03/21/ntsb.egypt.air/index.html)
OR (www.theatlantic.com/doc/prem/200111/langewiesche)

Before our discovery of this development,there was no trace of claim from
any person as the fund remains dormant in his account with this
bank.Although I keep this information secret whitin my jurisdiction to
enable us put claims and transfer the said amount through a trustworthy
friend overseas whom we shall indirectly present to the bank as the bonafide
next-of-kin to the deceased for a profitable and successful transaction -
Because after six years the money will be called back to the bank's treasury
account as unclaimed bills and the money shared amongst the directors of the
bank. So it is on this note i decided to seek for whom his name shall be
used as the next of kin/beneficiary to this funds rather than allow the bank
directors to share this money amongst them at the end of the year.

Meanwhile, all the arrangments to put claims as the bonafide next-of-kin
to the deceased,to get the required approval and transfer of this money to a
foreign account has been put in place.The directives and the needed
information will be relayed to you as soon as you indicate your intrest and
willingness.Infact, we could have done this alone but because as civil
servants we are not legally allowed to operate foreign account and it would
eventually raise an eyebrow on our side during the time of transfer because
we are staff of the bank.

These are the actual reasons why it requires asecond-fellow who will forward
claims by our indirect support as the bonafide next-of-kin.And also present
a foreign bank account(Old or New account)where the money will be
re-transfered into.

On conclusion of this transaction, you will be entitled to 30% of the total
sum as gratification, 5% of the total sum will be set aside for contingency,
while 65% will be for me and my partner here.
Please you have been advised to keep top secret as we are still in service
and intend to retire from service after we conclude this with you.

I will be monitoring the whole situation here in this bank until you confirm
the money in your account,I then come down to your country for subsequent
sharing of the fund according to the percentages indicated above, and for
investment with your advice .
All other necessary information will be sent to you when i hear from you

Yours Sincerely,
Mr.PHILIP AKWUE

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam