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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:

• 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:
  • "i will like you to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "may come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • m_sogbossi@yahoo.fr (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: michaelsogbossi@freenet.de
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:14:29 +0200
Subject: From The Office Of Mr Michael Sogbossi,


From The Office Of Mr Michael Sogbossi,
P. O Box M53, Sando
Cotonou
Benin Republic
Email. m_sogbossi@yahoo.fr



ATTN: Dear Trusting
Friend,

It is nice meeting you this new year.
I pray that this email
reaches you this blessed day in the best of health. In this good year, I
am presenting my best wishes to you and your family with blessings,
annioting, goodness and mercies. This letter may come to you as a
surprise due to the fact that we have not yet met. The message could be
strange but it\'s real if you pay some attention to it. I want to notify
you about it at least for the sake of your integrity.
In a brief
introduction, I am (Michael Sogbossi) the Director of Operation with
Continental Bank Benin Republic. I have an interesting transaction to
discuss with you if you may listen. The business under discussion has to
do with George Reeve a nationality of your country, who is a Consultant/
contractor with Societe Nationale Des Products D\' Agricole (SONAPRA)
Company in Benin-Cotonou. I managed to get your contact details through
the Internet search myself because time is of importance to it and I am
desperately looking for a foriegner like you to assist me to pull this
money out from the bank before our corrupt government officials will
confiscate the money. On Thursday, December 25, 2003,George Reeve, his
wife and their only daughter were involved in Air-Crash near the
Atlantic Ocean in Cotonou suburb. For more clarifications, you can visit
the CNN web news for the
tragedy.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/12/26/benin.crash
Since
then I have made several inquiries to your Embassy in a bid to locate
any relation of George Reeve. All attempts to reach the next of kin of
George Reeve has been futile as he had no other family or relative
living deferent here in Benin Republic. Hence my deccision to contact
you. I want both of us to go into partnership, the nature of your
business is completely irrelevant to this transaction as all I need from
you is an assurance that my interest will be fully protected once this
transaction is concluded. George Reeve made a numbered time (fixed)
deposited for twelve calendar and his account with our Bank accrues to
about (Four Million, Three hundred and Fifty- Two Thousand US Dollars)
$USD4.352M. According to the Benin Rep Law, at the expiration of (Four
years and 6 months) the money will revert to the ownership of the Benin
government if nobody applies to claim the funds.

Consequently, my
proposal is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand in as the next
of kin to George Reeve so that the fruits of this old man\'s labour will
not get into the hands of some corrupt government officials who will
later use the money to sponsor war in Africa and kill innocent citizens
in the search for political power/seat.

Please note: that There will
be no problem at all, with my position as the Director of Operation
guarantees the successful execution of this transaction within 7 Banking
days and the money will be paid into your account for us to share in the
ratio of 45% for you and 55% for me. This is very simple, I will like
you to reply immediately at my private email address m_sogbossi@yahoo.fr
so that I can send you the Text of application which you will fill and
apply to the bank as the next of kin to George Reeve and I will use my
good position in the bank as the Director of Operation to make sure that
the application is approved, during board meeting for immediate payment.
If you are interested, reply immediately so that we can proceed at once.
Please also send to me your private phone, or mobile numbers for easier
correspondence. I look forward to hearing from you soonest.
Best
Regards.

Michael Sogbossi

Unbegrenzter Speicher, Top-Spamschutz,
120 SMS und eigene E-MailDomain
inkl.
http://office.freenet.de/dienste/emailoffice/produktuebersicht/power/mail/index.html

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam