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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
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• 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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "huge deposit" (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: John Smith <smit_jh006@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: smit_jh008@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 01 Nov 2006 09:03:46 +0100
Subject: Urgent reply needed.


Dear Friend,
My name is Mr John Smith, a solicitor at law. I am the personal attorney to Mr.Andreas Schranner, a German property magnate, who died with his wife Maria, 62,their daughter Andrea Eich, 38 and her husband Christian, 57, and their children Katharine, 8 and Maximilian, 10, in the Concorde Jet AF4590 with the whole passengers on-board on Monday, 31 July 2000, at 13:22 GMT 14:22 UK time. You can see the website below for further information
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm.
Having left no survivors, the bank where he has a large deposit has instructed me as his personal attorney to present a next of kin who would be bequeathed the right of administration of my clients $18.5million Deposit with their branch in East London.
I have contacted you to assist in repatriating the money and property left behind by my client before the bank where his huge deposits were lodged declares them unserviceable. The bank has issued me a notice to provide an administrator of the fund or have the account declared unserviceable and redundant within the next ten official working days.
Given the fact that time is running out on me with regard to the provisional mandate of the bank to locate any relative or possible administrator, I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin to my deceased client so that the proceeds of this account valued at USD$18.5m can be paid into any account that you may present for this purpose. I am prepared to allow you have 20% of the total fund for your assistance. I have all necessary legal documents that can be used to back up any claim we may make.
All I require is your honest co-operation to enable us see this through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. Time is very essential in this request; therefore, your immediate response is needed to enable me start with the documentations within the specified schedule.
Best Regard,
John Smith.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam