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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)
  • "await your urgent response" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • tony_adams55@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Anthony Adams" <tony_adams55@yahoo.co.uk> (may be fake)
Date: Sat, 17 Jun 2006 18:12:24 +0700
Subject: Please reply.

Mr.Anthony Adams,
Valiant Private Bank,
Post Fach 3001 Bern,
Switzerland.

I am contacting you on business transfer of a huge sum of money froma deceased account. Though I know that a transaction of this magnitudewill make any one apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that
all will be well at the end of the day. I decided to contact you due to the urgency of this transaction.

PROPOSITION.
We discovered an abandoned sum of (Six Million Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars) in an account that belongs to one of our foreigncustomers whose name is Mr. Andreas Schranner German citizen who died
in a plane crash. Since his death, none of his next-of-kin or relationshas come forward to lay claims for this money as the heir. We cannot release the fund from his account unless someone applies for claim as
the next-of kin to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines.

Upon this discovery, we now seek your permission to have you stand as anext of kin to the deceased as all documentations will be carefully worked out by us for the funds (Six Million Five Hundred Thousand United
State Dollars) to be released in your favour as the beneficiaries next of kin. It may interest you to know that we have secured from the probate an order of mandamus to locate any of deceased beneficiaries.
And for your perusal you may view this website
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm

This deposit was for 5 years and upon maturity I made effort to contactmy client, l could not reach him. I was forced to travel to Germany andthere I got the tragic news that, my client Mr. Andreas Schranner, his
wife Maria, their daughter Andrea Eich, his son in law Christian, and their children Maximilian and Katharina, all perished on the Monday, 31July, 2000 plane crash in western German city of Moenchengladbach.

Please acknowledge receipt of this message to : tony_adams55@yahoo.co.uk in acceptance of our mutual business endeavor by furnishing me with the following:
1.Beneficiary Name and Address
2.Direct Telephone and Fax numbers.

These requirements will enable us file a letter of claim to the appropriatedepartments for necessary approvals in your favour before the transfer canbe made. We shall be compensating you with a million dollars on final
conclusion of this projects, while the rest shall be for us for investmentpurposes, if this proposal is acceptable to you, do not take undue advantage
of the trust we have bestowed in you.

I await your urgent response.

Regards,

Mr.Anthony Adams.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam