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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
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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• What can you do when you receive 419 spam
  
  
• Spam archive, Daily index
  

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:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found 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. )
• 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.
  • graylinkexpresscourie.benin@yahoo.fr (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: jimpeters5@freenet.de
Date: Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:10:07 +0100
Subject: CONTACT THE GRAYLINK COURIER COMPANY


Dear Friend,
I have been waiting for you since to come down here and
pick your Bank Draft of ($1.3Million) Which my boss asked me to mail to
you for your compensation as soon as you requeste for it, but I did not
hear from you since that time. Then I went and deposited the Draft with
Courier/Security Company here in Benin Republic to avoid loosing the
funds, And the Name of the Company is GRAYLINK COURIER COMPANY. I will
be out of the country for a 6 Months Course and I will not come back
till later in the year. I want You to contact the Courier Company with
the following informations:
Your Full Name.....
Your delivery
address...
Reachable phone number...
Copy of your identity.......
Ask
them to deliver your package to your address. I have paid for the
delivering charges and insurance fee.The only money you have to send to
them is their security keeping fee which is $95.00 Us Dollars to
received your package.
Below is their email address: (
graylinkexpresscourie.benin@yahoo.fr )
Contact person name is ( Dr.
Chris Yaya)
Try to contact them as soon as possible to avoid increasing
the security keeping fee and also give them your contact delivering
address to avoid any mistake on the delivering. Let me know immediately
you receive your Draft.
Thanks.
Mr Gabriel Peter

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam