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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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "diplomatic immunity"
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "hundred thousand united states dollars" (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)
  • "diplomatic immunity" ("diplomats" who perform deliveries of cash or other valuables to you only exist in 419 scams)
  • "the diplomat " ("diplomats" who perform deliveries of cash or other valuables to you only exist in 419 scams)
  • "a diplomat " ("diplomats" who perform deliveries of cash or other valuables to you only exist in 419 scams)
• 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.
  • +2214183317 (Senegal, 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.
  • revdouglas@mail2world.com

Fraud email example:

From: "REVD.FR THOMAS DOUGLAS" <rev@unorganisation.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: Revdouglas@mail2world.com
Date: Mon, 29 May 2006 04:47:06 -0700
Subject: YOUR AWAITING PAYMENT

OFFICE OF REVD.FR THOMAS DOUGLAS
DIRECTOR SPECIAL DUTIES, UNITED NATIONS ORGANISATION
IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND
WORLD BANK FACT-FINDING & SPECIAL DUTIES OFFICE
DAKAR, SENEGAL.
TEL: +221 4183317
Email:Revdouglas@mail2world.com

Dear Friend.

I am Revd. Fr. Thomas Douglas, a senior staff with the World Bank fact finding & special duties office. I am writing you this letter based on the fact that cool penny is better than millions of dollars means it's better for one to live and die poor honest man than a rich dishonest one.

I and the Chief security officer (CSO) of this organisation have arranged with an officer in the computer section the person of Engineer Peter Cliff to bring out part of your total pending payment with reference number (LM-05-371) amounting to US$10 million. Why we did this is because according to information gathered from the bank’s security computer, you have been waiting for a long time to receive this payment without success. As I found out that you have almost met all the statutory requirements in respect of your pending payment. The problems you are having is that of interest groups. A lot of people are interested in your payment and those people are merely doing paper works with you and that explains why you receive different kinds of untrue fax and phone messages from different people everyday. Also we found out that some of the officials of the parastatals have been extorting a lot of money from you with the pretext of helping you receive your !
money. I can assure you this will keep happening if you do not do away with those officers. For security reasons you do not have to tell anybody that your have your payment on the way until the payment gets to you.

The said payment is been arranged in a security-proof box weighing 75kg. In order to get this box shipped to you I and the (CSO) Yesterday went to this four courier companies Dhl, Ems, FedEx and Ups to make arrangements on how to get the box shipped to you by courier, but to no avail the above courier companies all made us to understand that they will have to open the box for inspection by the customs before shipment. This is something we want to avoid because this box is been padded with synthetic nylon and to open it you will have to cut the pad before you will meet the button that you will press to open the dial code-lock. There is no way you can open the box and be able to close it again because it was padded with machine. We told the courier services that the box contained film materials and when open will spoil the materials. <N: B> we did not declare money because courier does not carry money.

Today a friend of mine who is a diplomat disclosed to me that there is a security courier service company that is specialised in sending diplomatic materials and information from one country to another, which also has diplomatic immunity and consignment such as this cannot be checked by any customs anywhere in the world. I have therefore met the official of the security courier service and concluded shipping arrangement with them, which they will commence as soon as I have your go ahead order. The diplomat who will be bring in this consignment to you is an expert and has been in this line of work for many years now so we have Notting to worry about. After all arrangements we have concluded that you must donate Five Hundred Thousand United States dollars (US$500,000.00) to any charity organisation I designate as soon as you receive your money. To this effect, you will send to us a promissory note for the donation along with your address where you will li!
ke the box to be delivered to by the courier. Please maintain topmost secrecy as it may cause a lot of problems if found out that we are using this way to help you. You are advised not to inform anyone about this until you received your money. Am helping you on this because something in me is tells me that you are an honest person. When you conclude this and you send our promise, we will help to ship the final part of your money to you.

May God be with you as i wait for your response Feel free to call me if you will like us to discuses more on this TEL: +221 4183317.

Yours Faithfully
Revd. Fr. Thomas Douglas
Director, Special Duties. UNO/WBF

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam