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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) 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:
  • "hundred thousand united state 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)
  • "urgent assistance" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
  • "stay blessed" (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "musa diko" <musa_diko28@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: musa_diko2000@myway.com
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2007 10:45:48 +0000
Subject: Do accept my sincere apologies, thanks

How are you and your family I hope fine? Do accept my sincere apologies if
my mail does not meet your personal ethics. By introduction, I am, a branch
manager in one of a reputable financial institution here in Ouagadougou
Burkina Faso “Bank of Africa”. I would love to build up a solid foundation
with you in time coming if you can be able to help me in this business
proposal. Listen, a generous customer of this bank died on March 11th 2004
at Madrid train attack, this decease left Sun of Eight Million Five Hundred
thousand United State Dollars ($8.5)

BBC NEWS LINK:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/11/newsid_4273000/4273817.stm

I Hoped that you will not expose or betray this trust and confident that I
am about to repose on you for the mutual benefit of our both families. I
need your urgent assistance in transferring this above mentioned sum into
your bank account or you come here in this bank for cash paying into your
hands. I don't want the money to go into our Bank treasury as an abandoned
fund. Since our bank could not locate any of his nearest person to inherit
this money. So this is the reason why I contacted you, so that with me
giving you all his information we can release the money to you as the
nearest person to the deceased customer. Please I would like you to keep
this proposal as a top secret and delete if you are not interested. Upon
receipt of your reply, I will send you full details on how the business will
be executed.

Thanks
Stay Blessed.
Yours sincerely,
Mr Musa Diko.

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam