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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:
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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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "huge amount of money" (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)
  • "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• 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.
  • apexcourrierbs@yahoo.fr (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: Pastor Williams <pastorwilliams@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: apexcourrierbs@yahoo.fr
Date: Fri, 16 May 2008 05:33:43 +0200
Subject: CONTACT APEX COURIER COMPANY IMMEDIATELY


(HILL & COUNSELORS AT LAW)
06 BP 1409 AKPAKPA DODOMEY
COTONOU REPUBLIC OF BENIN.
Dear Friend,
Contact Apex Courier And Delivery Company Immediately
Greetings to you & your Family.I have been waiting for you since to
contact me for your Confirmable Bank Draft of ($1.2m) United States
Dollars, but I did not hear from you since then ,Then I went and
deposited the Draft with Apex Courier Delivery Company
,Cotonou,Benin Republic, before I travelled out of the country for a
short Course and i will not come back till end of next Month.What you
have to do now is to contact the Apex Courier Delievery Company as
soon as possible to know when they will deliver your package to you
because of the expiring date.For your information, I have paid for the
delivery Charges.The only money you will send to the Courier &
Security Company to deliver your Draft direct to your home Address in
your country is ($98) only being their Security Keeping Fee of the
Courier Company so far.Again,
Do not be deceived by anybody to pay
any other money except $98.00,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 the Apex Courier Delievery Company now
for the delivery of your Draft with this information bellow. Apex
Courier Delievery Company Benin Republic.
E-mail: ( apexcourrierbs@yahoo.fr [1])
Registration Reference No; wwdsc/xxx/100
Code Number:xxxdcsc/6545
Finally, make sure that you reconfirm your home address and Direct
telephone number to them again to avoid any mistake on the Delivery
and 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 $98 for their immediate action.You should also
Let me know through email as soon as you receive your Draft.
Note. Apex courier delivery company do not know the contents of the
parcel.I registered it as my photograph (pix) being sent to a
friend
overseas. They do not know that it contains a bank draft of such a
huge amount of money.This is to avoid them tempering with the parkage.
Do not let them know know the contents.I am waiting to hear the good
news from you. Regards, Pastor Williams

Links:
------
[1] mailto:apexcourrierbs@yahoo.fr

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam