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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:
  • "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)
  • "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)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. Rowland Lauterburg" <rowlat335@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: rowland_lauterburg@o2.pl
Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2006 09:32:24 -0500
Subject: Partnership Business Proposal

Hello,
   
I am Mr. Rowland Lauterburg from Bern, Switzerland. I work with a bank in Switzerland and the reason of this mail is about business transfer of a huge sum of money from a deceased account. Though I know that a transaction of this magnitude will make any one apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that all will be well at the end of the day. We decided to contact you due to the urgency of this transaction.

 

PROPOSITION;

We discovered an abandoned sum of Five Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars ($5,500,000.00) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customers who died along with his entire family. Since his death, none of his next-of kin or relations has 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 a next of kin to the deceased as all documentations will be carefully worked out by us for the funds ($5,500,000.00) to be released in your favor as the beneficiary's 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.

Please acknowledge receipt of this message 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 letter of claim to the appropriate departments for necessary approvals in your favor before the transfer can be made. We shall be compensating you with a million dollars on final conclusion of this project, while the rest shall be for us. Your share stays while the rest shall be for us for investment purposes. I find myself privileged to have this information and this is a great opportunity of a lifetime of success without risks.

 

Please kindly send your reply to my personal email address [rowland_lauterburg@o2.pl ].
 

My Regards,
   
Mr. Rowland Lauterburg.

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam