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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dearest one," (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "necessary legal documents" (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. )
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr.Toya Diawara" <toyadiawara18@yahoo.co.jp>
Reply-To: toyadiawara@yahoo.fr
Date: Sun, 9 Dec 2007 23:35:01 +0900 (JST)
Subject: For Your Kind Attention

Dearest One,

Greetings to you. With due respect, I am Barrister Toya diawara, the legal director here at the Ministry of Works Abidjan Ivory Coast. I have contacted you to seek your assistance for the transfer of an unclaimed contract funds which accrued from a deliberate over invoicing of some contracts
awarded to a now deceased foreign contractor by the ministry of works during the defunct military regime of the late Gen. Robert Guei.

By virtue of my position here in the ministry, I have access to some contract approval information concerning a contract which was executed by this contractor attached to the Ministry of Works. This contract has long been executed and commissioned, but this over invoiced payment is still
outstanding and unclaimed due to circumstances which I will explain to you in the course of our correspondence. This matter requires utmost attention as the current political situation in our country since the intervention of the united nations who brokered a peace deal between the government and
the new forces rebels has now presented an opportunity for the money to be transferred out of the country as the previous financial embargo has been lifted.

Owing to the demise of the contractor and by virtue of my position here at the ministry of works, I have decided to use all the resources within my power to retrieve this outstanding contract payment since the contractor whose name was used to process the contract payment approval has long died
and no relatives has ever came forward for the claims of the outstanding payment. We have made several attempts to possibly trace any of the late contractors's relatives who will assume the responsibility of coming forward for the claims of this outstanding payment.

It is never my desire to see the above matter treated that way hence I conducted a search that will assist me in first and foremost trace any relative of the deceased and also ensure the safety of the funds.I have contacted you to assist in repatriating the money and property left behind by the
late contractor because if a relative is not found within six weeks then the Public Trustee will move and liquidate the entire estate of the late contractor including this unpaid contract amounts on the account of having been unserviceable for a long period of time.

I look forward to your co operation and your extreme discretion in this matter. Until such a time this matter is settled, I will continue to work with you in any way possible to see that the outstanding payment is released and transferred in your name as a bona fide next of kin to the late
contractor as I shall be presenting you to the ministry of works. We shall within the course of the next few days plan and execute how best to pursue this matter of mutual interest with a view to cost effectiveness.

I have all the necessary legal documents that will be used to back up any claim we may make. All I require is your honest co operation to enable us see this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect us from any breach of law.If interested
please respond and do not be destructive. If my offer is of no appeal to you, delete this message and forget I ever contacted you. Do not destroy my career even if you do not approve of my proposal. If you are interested, please get in touch with me by telephone or email to enable us discuss this
further.

Respectfully,
Toya diawara, Esq.






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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam