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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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• 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)
  • "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)
  • ",000,000" (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)
  • "utmost confidentiality" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin 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.
  • 2347028288297
• 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.
  • michael_esq_legal@outgun.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "james micheal" <michaelesq2@mailbox.hu>
Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 18:52:07 -0700
Subject: YOUR ASSISTANCE IS URGENTLY NEEDED


ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT
ECO INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC
PLOT 2, AJOSE ADEOGUN STREET
VICTORIA-ISLAND LAGOS-NIGERIA
Tel: 234 702 -8288297

Dear Friend,
Re-transfer of $18,000.000. (Eighteen Million U.S. Dollars)
First I must solicit your confidence in this transaction. This is by virtue
of its nature as being utterly confidential and top secret. We shall be
counting on your capability and reliability to prosecute a transaction of
great magnitude involving a pending business transaction requiring maximum
confidence.
We want to transfer to overseas {$18,000,000] Eighteen Million United States
dollars from Eco International Bank Nig Plc. I would like if you will be
capable and fit to provide either an existing bank account or to set up a
new Bank account immediately to receive this money, even an empty account
can serve to receive this money as long as you will remain honest to me till
the end of this important business transaction.

I am Dr James Michael, Director of Accounts Department of Eco International
Bank Plc, during the course of our auditing, I discovered a floating fund in
an account opened with our bank in 2005 and since then nobody has operated
on this account again, after going through some old files in the records, I
discovered that the owner of the account died without a heir hence the money
is floating and if I do not remit this money out urgently it will be
forfeited for nothing.

The owner of this account was Engr. George Smith, a national of your country
an Industrialist. He died since 2006 and no other person knows about this
account or anything concerning it, the account has no beneficiary and my
investigation proved to me as well that Engr.George Smith until his death
was a Manager with an oil firm in Nigeria.

I am contacting you as a foreigner because this money can only be approved
to a foreigner with a foreign account because the money is in US Dollars and
the former owner of the account Engr. George Smith is a foreigner. I am
revealing all these information to you believing that you will never let me
down in this business. You are the first and the only person I have
contacted for this business, so please reply urgently for me to tell you the
next step to take.

You should forward the following information: Your telephone/fax numbers and
your residential address that is also needed. You will have to give me the
assurance that when we meet this money will be intact pending our physical
arrival in your country for disbursement of the fund, which will be 30% for
your assistance 65% will be for us, while 5% will be set aside to take care
of all the expenses that would be incurred by both parties during the course
of the transfer.
I look forward to your earliest response through my private email address
below:
michael_esq_legal@outgun.com

Please direct your reply via my confidential email address stated herein,
this is for utmost confidentiality of the transaction.

I look forward to your positive response
Yours faithfully,

Dr. Michael James

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam