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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• 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:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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• What can you do when you receive 419 spam
  
  
• Spam archive, Daily index
  

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:
  • "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • edwards.kofie@yahoo.fr (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "edwards kofie" <edwardskofie@gmail.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: edward.kofie@yahoo.fr
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2006 18:27:41 +0000
Subject:

Dear one,
PLEASE REPLY ME IN THIS PRAVITE
EMAIL ADDRESS (edwards.kofie@yahoo.fr)
I sincerely seek your assistance.
My name is Edawrds Kofie and my sister
stella Kofie .I am the son of late Mr
lawrence kofie and we are indigenes of
Sierra Leone but based in Abidjan,
Cote d'Ivoire. Until his death, my
father was a very successful businessman,
he deals on international import. He died
of a heart failurein November 2003. My problem
now is that, my late father had a some money
which he lodged in a prime bank here in
Abidjan ($5.5m), his intension was to use
this money for an oversea investment.I want
you to help me by claiming this money from
the bank, to your account as my late father's
foreign pertner.I will then come over to your
country for my training and investment. I am
willing to offer you 25% of the money for your
help. Please get back to me for more details.
Thank you.and remine bless
PLEASE REPLY ME IN THIS PRAVITE EMAIL
ADDRESS (edwards.kofie@yahoo.fr)
Your's regrads
Edwards kofie

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam