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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "diplomatic courier" ("diplomats" who perform deliveries of cash or other valuables to you only exist in 419 scams)
  • "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • ifexexpress@gmail.com
  • mikeuju1@hotmail.fr

Fraud email example:

From: harrymagana@freenet.de
Date: Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:51:21 +0100
Subject: CONTACT COURIER COMPANY NOW


CONTACT COURIER COMPANY NOW
Dear Friend,
It has been long we
communicated last, am so sorry for the delay,I
mean your cheque of
USD$850.000.00 that my boss asked me to mail to
you as soon as you
request for it,but due to some high price of
courier company you fails
to respond to me, and presently the cheque
is still with me here in
Benin Republic,I went to the bank to verify
if the cheque still good
but i was told that your cheque is good that
you can cash the cheque to
any bank in the world,I which to inform you
that I have find A new
contact from a friend of mine who works with
Diplomatic Courier Company
here in BENIN REPUBLIC that will deliver
your cheque at your door step
with a cheeper rate, which the company
said that it will cost you the
sum of $95.00 us dollars, so you have to

hurry and register with them
nowand try to ask them to give you the
Direction which you will use to
send the $95.00 to them to enable them
proceed with the delivery of
your cheque,because your draft is already
with them,the draft was
packaged in a way that the courier company will
not open it untill you
receiver it according to them it will only take
them 2 days to deliver
the cheque to your door step,so my friend you
have to hurry and make
sure you send the $95.00 to them to enable them
deliver the draft to
you ,contact them immedaitely with the information
giving to you, so
that your $850.000.00 will be deliver to you this
week,
Belowis thier
email address: (ifexexpress@gmail.com) And the
Directors name is ( DR
SENDOFF TULUGO) Please do send your full
address to them such as
YOUR
FULL NAME .........
YOUR ADDRESS WHERE THE DRAFT WILL BE DROPPED
YOUR
CONTACT PHONE................
YOUR COUNTRY LOCATION................
And
try to get back to me by writing me through my private
email
address;(mikeuju1@hotmail.fr)
I wait to hear from you soon.
Thank
you.
Mr Mike Uju

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam