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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:
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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:
  • "million united states 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)
  • "waiting for your urgent response" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "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 "New Partner from Paraguay" scam.
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +22997612829 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • uspscouriercompany@netcourrier.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: williams45@freenet.de
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:13:02 +0200
Subject: CONTACT UNITED STATE PARCEL SERVICE FOR YOUR PACKAGE



Hi,
Good day!!!
I have been waiting to hear back from you for your Bank
Draft of $1.2 million United States Dollars, but I did not hear from you
since for a couple of weeks now. Then I went to the bank to confirm if
the draft has expired or getting near to expire and Dr.Wilson the
Director Bank of Africa told me that before the draft will get to your
hand that it will expire. So I told him to cash the $1.2 million us
dollas UNITED STATES DOLLARS to cash payment to avoid losing this funds
under expiration.What you have to do now is to contact UNITED STATED
PARCEL SERVICE BENIN as soon as possible to know when they will deliver
your Consignment to you because of the expiring date. For your
information, I have paid for the delivering Charges.
The only money you
will send to the UNITED STATED PARCEL SERVICE BENIN to deliver your
Consignment direct to your postal Address in your country is ($105.00
US) One Hundred & Five United States Dollars only being Security Keeping
Fee of the Courier Company so far. I would have paid that but they said
no because they don\'t know when you will contact them and in case of
demurrage.
You have to contact UNITED STATED PARCEL SERVICE BENIN now
for the delivery of your Draft with this information bellow;
Directors
Name: Dr. PETER JOHNSON
Companys Name: UNITED STATED PARCEL SERVICE
BENIN
Phone.... +229 97612829
Email Address: (
uspscouriercompany@netcourrier.com )
Finally, make sure that you
reconfirm your Postal address and Direct telephone number to them again
to avoid any mistake on the Delivery . Let me repeat again, try to
contact them as soon as you receive this mail to avoid any further delay
and remember to pay them their Security Keeping fee of $105.00 US
Dollars for their immediate action.
Note this. The UNITED STATED PARCEL
SERVICE BENIN don\'t know the contents of the Box. I registered it as a
BOX of Africa cloths. They did not know the contents was money. this is
to avoid them delaying with the BOX. Don\'t let them know that box
contents money ok.
I am waiting for your urgent response.
Yours
Faithfully,
Mr WILLIAMS BEN,

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