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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:
  • "cost of transfer" (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. )
  • "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)
  • "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: benjamin ame <benja_ame020@hotmail.fr>
Reply-To: <amebenjamin@yahoo.fr>
Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2008 13:50:08 +0100
Subject: =?windows-1256?Q?FROM_AME_BENJAMIN.=FE=FE=FE=FE=FE=FE?=



Dear, I MAKE THIS APPEAL WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT ANY FACTS OR OPINION EXPRESSED BY ME ARE GIVING IN CONFIDENCE AND SOLELY FOR YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION.I am DR.AME BENJAMIN,the manager of bill and exchange at the foreign remittance department Bank of africa burkinafaso. In my department I discovered an abandoned sum of US$15.5M, (Fifteen Million, Five Hundred Thousand US Dollars) with account number 14-2558-5976 that belongs to one of our foreign customers who died along with his wife and only daughter in a plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight number 261 which crashed on 31 January, 2000. You shall read more about the crash on visiting this website:http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/02/01/alaska.airlines.list/ The Owner of this account is Mr. Morris Thompson an American and great industrialist and a resident of Alaska.It is therefore upon this discovery that I now decided to make this business proposal to you and for our bank to release the money to you.You have to follow the instruction which I will be send to you as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for safety andsubsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and I don't want this money to go into our bank treasury as unclaimed bill. The banking law and guidelines here stipulates that if such money remained unclaimed after Three years, the money will be transfered into the banktreasury as unclaimed fund. The money has now stayed more than three years and I am preparing documentaion to prove that this money has been transfered to our bank treasury. It will be between me and you only that will know that the money is not transfered into our treasure. This request of foreigner as next of kin in this transaction is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and a Burkinabé cannot standas next of kin to a foreigner.In appreciation of your assistance, I am offering you 30% of the total sum. 5% for contingencies (cost of transfer/other charges) likely to be incurred during the course of transaction, while the remaining 65% is for me. Upon receipt of your reply,i will send to you by fax or email the text of the application which you will complete and forward to our bank asking for this money to be paid to you as the next of kin to Mr;Morris Thomson. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any fear as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer. You should contact me immediately as soon as you receive this mail through the above email. PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ME IMMEDIATELY SHOULD YOU CONSIDER MYURGENT REQUEST. Yours Faithfully,DR.AME BENJAMIN
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam