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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery 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:

• 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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million 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)
  • ",000,000" (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)
  • "lagos" (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.
  • +23417591913 (Nigeria, landline)
• 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.
  • drbernardokumagba04@yahoo.fr (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: bernard okumagba <dr-bernarokumagba789@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <drbernardokumagb04@yahoo.fr>
Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2007 04:24:33 +0100
Subject: I NEED YOUR TRUST.




ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT ECO INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC PLOT 2, AJOSE ADEOGUN STREET VICTORIA-ISLAND LAGOS-NIGERIA FAX: + 234-1-7591913 EMAIL: drbernardokumagba04@yahoo.fr Dear Friend,
Re: Transfer of $18,000.000. (Eighteen Million U.S. Dollars) First I must solicit your confidence in this transaction. This is by virtue of its nature as being utterly confidential and top secret. We shall be counting on your capability and reliability to prosecute a transaction of great magnitude involving a pending business transaction requiring maximum confidence.
We want to transfer to overseas {$18,000,000] Eighteen Million United States dollars from Eco International Bank Nig Plc. I would like if you will be capable and fit to provide either an existing Bank account or to set up a new Bank account immediately to receive this money, even an empty account can serve to receive this money as long as you will remain honest to me till the end of this important business transaction.
I am Dr Bernard Okumagba Director of Accounts Department of Eco International Bank plc, during the course of our auditing I discovered a floating fund in an account opened with our Bank in 2000 and since 2002 nobody has operated on this account again, after going through some old files in the records I discovered that the owner of the account died without a heir hence the money is floating and if I do not remit this money out urgently it will be forfeited for nothing.
The owner of this account was Engr. Anthony Hamill, a national of your country an Industrialist. He died since 2002 and no other person knows about this account or anything concerning it, the account has no beneficiary and my investigation proved to me as well that Engr. Anthony Hamill until his death was a Manager with an oil firm in Nigeria.
I am contacting you as a foreigner because this money can only be approved to a foreigner with a foreign account because the money is in us dollars and the former owner of the account Engr. Anthony Hamill is a foreigner. I am revealing all these information to you with the believe that you will never let me down in this business. You are the first and the only person I am contacting for this business so please reply urgently for me to tell you the next step to take.
You should forward the following information: Your telephone/fax numbers and your Residential address which is also needed. You will have to give me the assurance that when we meet this money will be intact pending our physical arrival in your country for sharing and disbursement of the fund which will be 35% for your assistance 60% will be for us while 5% will be set aside to take care of all the expenses that would be incurred by both parties during the course of the transfer.
I look forward to your earliest response through my alternative email address below (drbernardokumagba04@yahoo.fr ) for security reasons.
Yours faithfully, Dr. Bernard Okumagba

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam