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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery 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:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • +447040104793 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
• 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.
  • m_coker69@yahoo.co.uk

Fraud email example:

From: "mac coker" <maccoker5@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: m_coker69@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2005 11:07:11 +0000
Subject: greetings!!!

>From the desk of:Mr. Mac Coker
Auditor General of Natwest Bank Group
65, Aldwych London, WC2B 4EJ,UK.
Tel.:+44 704 010 4793

Dear Friend,

I am Mr. Mac Coker Auditor General of Natwest Bank Group UK. Natwest Bank
London.

I am writing following an opportunity in my office that will be of immense
benefit to both of us.

In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of £20.5million British
Pounds Sterling (Twenty million five hundred thousand British Pounds) in an
account that belongs to one of our foreign customers Late Mr. Morris
Thompson an American who unfortunately lost his life in the plane crash of
Alaska Airlines Flight 261 which crashed on January 31 2000, including his
wife and only daughter. You shall read more about the crash on visiting this
sites.

http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/02/01/alaska.airlines.list/ and
http://www.nativefederation.org/history/people/mThompson.html

Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of
kin or relatives to come over and claim his money because we cannot release
it unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased
as indicated in our banking guidelines. Unfortunately I learnt that his
supposed next of kin being his only daughter died along with him in the
plane crash leaving nobody with the knowledge of this fund behind for the
claim. It is therefore upon this discovery that I and two other officials in
this department now decided to make business with you and release the money
to you as the next of kin or beneficiary of the funds for safety keeping and
subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and we don’t want this
money to go back into Government treasury as unclaimed bill.

The banking law and guidelines here stipulates that such money remained
after six years the money will be transferred into banking treasury as
unclaimed funds. We agreed that 20% of this money will be for you as foreign
partner, while the balance will be for me and my colleagues. I will visit
your country for the disbursement according to the percentages indicated
above once this money gets into your account.

Please be honest to me and trust is our watchword in this transaction. Note
this transaction is confidential and 100% risk free. As soon as you receive
this mail you should contact me by return mail. Please note that all
necessary arrangement for the smooth release of these funds to you has been
finalised. We will discuss much in details when I do receive your response.
You can contact me on my private email as:m_coker69@yahoo.co.uk


Best regards
Mr. Mac Coker

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam