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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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "with absolute secrecy" (they don't want anyone to point out to you that this is a scam)
  • "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "John Briggs" <barrister_77@msn.com>
Reply-To: john_briggs13@yahoo.co.in
Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2006 03:23:37 +0000
Subject: URGENT REPLY

Dear Friend,

I apologize if the contents hereunder are contrary
to your moral ethics, but please treat it with absolute
secrecy and personal courtesy. I am John Briggs an Auditor
of a commercial Bank here in the United Kingdom,in the
process of auditing our bank accounts I and one of my
colleagues discovered that there is a dormant account valued at the sum
£18,700,000.00 (eighteen million seven
hundred thousand British Pounds)and after due verification of his
account we discovered that the account owner is late and that is why
the
account has been dormant and as such a £18,700,000.00 has been lying in
the bank unclaimed.

The idea of presenting somebody who is not related to
our deceased customer to act as his next of kin came
into our mind,that is how and why we have contacted you
to present you as his next of kin, so that the
£18,700,000.00 will be paid to you and we can both
disburse the fund according to the percentage we will
agree on. In view of this, I am seeking for your co-operation and
understanding to stand as the next of kin to our deceased customer, to
enable us claim the fund from my bank.
Hence, if this proposal is OK by you and you do not
wish to take undue advantage of my trust, then I hope to bestow on you.

Please kindly get back to me immediately, strictly via
my private email address only: to enable me enlightens
you on how we are to proceed.
On getting your response, we shall agree on the percentage
of disbursing the £18,700,000.00 between us, as we
intend to invest part of our own share in real estate business in your
country,and we would appreciate if you can put us in the right part
investing in your Country.

I will not contact any person or company until I hear from
you, so as to enable me decides on what to do next.
Be rest assured that this business is 100% risk free.
We wait for your prompt response.

Regards,
Mr.John Briggs

NB: PLEASE NOTE THAT IT DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU ARE NOT
RELATED TO MY LATE CUSTOMER; THE FUND WILL STILL BE PAID
TO YOU, SINCE WE ARE PRESENTING YOU AS HIS NEXT OF KIN

_________________________________________________________________
Stay in touch with old friends and meet new ones with Windows Live Spaces
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam