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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "federal republic of benin" (Benin is no Federal Republic, unlike Nigeria where this type of scam was invented)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "hundred thousand us 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)
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +22997987682 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: george ziegan <georgeziegan_006@hotmail.fr>
Reply-To: <georgeziegan12@yahoo.it>
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2007 05:42:59 +0100
Subject: Valued Attention Dear Chandler



From Dr.George Ziegan. Is my Pleasure writing to you at this moment of the day, I am Dr.George Ziegan,the director incharge of auditing and accounting Unit of Continental Bank in Cotonou-Benin Republic. I and my colleague deem it fit to contact you regarding to a transaction that will favour both of us at the end,I got your contact in my search for a reputable and reliable person to help US claim the fund in question. We discovered the sum of Seventeen Million Five Hundred thousand US Dollars ($17.5M) belonging to a deceased customer of this bank. The money has been lying in a suspence account without anybody coming to put claim over the money since the account owner late Mr.Fahim Haj H Chandler from lebanon,who was involved in December 25th 2003 plane crash in Benin. You will read more stories about the crash on visiting this website:www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/12/26/benin.crash// The said fund is now ready for transfer to a foriegn account whose owner will be portrayed as the beneficiary and next of kin to the deceased customer of the bank. Seems you have the same surename with this deceased customer you can easily make this deal with us,we will assist you to get the information of the deceased customer that will assist you to get every proof document which will help you to execute this money. The foriegn account owner will impost himself as the next of kin to the deceased and respond positively like a true next of kin who wishes to speed up the release and transfer of his inherited fund. If the over due fund if not claimed by the end of next quarter, the government of the Federal Republic of Benin will take over the ownership of the fund in line with the Federal Edict Act of 1979. We do not want the government to take over the ownership of this money, that is why I contacted you for us to do the deal together, so that we will portray you as the bonafide next of kin to the deceased ,If you accept to carry out this project with us, we will offer you 30% of the total sum while I and my colleague involved will take 70% of the total sum.Upon your acceptance to do this deal with us, we will jointly effect the transfer within seven working days. Be rest assured that, this transaction carries no risk and no extra responssibilities on your part, except the above mentioned roles and normally you will be required to maintain absolute information and absolute secrecy throughout the duration of this transaction, because discussing it with a third party might jeopardise the entire transaction. I am looking forward to receiving your interesting response on this project as this will greatly enrich the both of us at the end.

You should contact me as soon as you receive this letter on my private Email or mobile phone below.

private telephone number: +229-97-98-76 82

Thanks for your understanding, Dr.George Ziegan.
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam