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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.

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)
  • "the consignment" (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)
  • "god fearing " (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
• 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.
  • ben-umar@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "ben umar" <benumar5@telegraf.by>
Reply-To: ben-umar@hotmail.com
Date: Thu, 22 May 2008 13:30:25 +0300
Subject: HELLO


Dear Friend,

Is my pleasure for writing you this letter, hope you are fine? I want to use
this opportunity to introduce myself well to you, I am Ben umar, The son of
a late Chief Agyman Umar of D R CONGO, I came to know you in the course of
my search for a reliable and God fearing partner and I decide to contact
you,
because I believe you are a reputable person and I felt you can help us over
this confidential matter.I count on your integrity and honesty to be able to
handle this business. I have a truck box that contain $15.5million U.S
DOLLARS which is already in Dubai.

We are ready to give you 20% from the total money because that was the
initial agreement we have with my later father partner, Mr Anas Zaid,

The consignment is right now in the UAE, my Late father business partner Mr
Anas Zaid, who was suppose to receive this consignment containing the money
Mr Anas Zaid, who was suppose to receive this consignment containing the
money for the past three days since the consignment arrive at Dubai, But
there is no response and we don't really know what happen to her so we need
your help to receive this consignment on behalf of me and my mother. Please
be honest to us we are counting on you,

The director of the shipping company just inform us time, yesterday that if
we cansterday that if we can not provide our father business partner within
this period of that the consignment we be return back to GHANA, so we need
you to stand as my family trustee to receive the consignment in Dubai. If
you are willing to help us receive this consignment, all you just have to do
is to contact us and help us receive this consignment, all you just have to
do is to contact the shipping company here in Ghana so that they can give
you instruction to their agent holding the consignment in Dubai.

If not for God they would have return the consignment back to Africa but God
has been helping us. Please reply my mail so that I can give you the contact
of the shipping company to discuss with them on the release of this
consignment to you . Please i wll like you to send me your identity ,
address and phone number , so we can know you better.consignment to you .
Please i wll like you to send me your identity , address and phone number ,
so we can know you better. just have to do for us is to receive this
consignment. And that reminds me the shipping company does not know the
content of the boxes, because it was deposited as a family treasure.
ben-umar@hotmail.com


Regards,
Ben umar
For the family.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam