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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• 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:
  • "a security company " (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. Never ever send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally. )
  • "million 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)
  • "u.k " (this email uses bad English)
  • "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: George Walsh <sgtwalsh3@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: egeorge@onet.eu
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 08:09:24 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Greetings


Hello,
My name is Sgt. George Walsh and I am an American soldier serving in
the Military of the 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq. As you know, we are
being attacked by insurgents everyday and car bombings. We stumbled
into Saddam Hussein's storage vault and discovered funds belonging to his
family. The total amount is US$8.5 Million dollars. We want to move
this money to a reputable/sincere person for investment purposes. This is
the reason for contacting you.
We are ready to compensate you with good percentage of the funds. We
have shipped the money out of Iraq to a security company in U.K via
diplomatic means as Iraq is a war zone. We want you to help us receive
the funds into your bank account for purposes of safe keeping /
investments or you can set up a fresh account for this transaction. If you are
interested I will send you more details. We are three colleagues in
this business transaction and I was mandated to find a good and respectable
partner with great repute that we can trust as our partner. Can we
trust you? If we can trust you, kindly send me an e-mail signifying your
interest including the follows:-
1 Your full name
2 Your telephone numbers
3 Your full mailing address
4 Your nature of business
5 Your marital status.
This transaction is 100% risk free. You can visit this website for better understanding.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm
All responses to:
Respectfully,
Sgt. George Walsh


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam