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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:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "necessary legal documents" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. Never ever send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally. )
  • "million united state 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)
  • "00,000.00" (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)
  • "% will be for you" (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)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "chambers" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• 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.
  • barrister_mikebilly@myway.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "BARRISTER MIKE BILLY barrister_mike_billy@myway.com" <barristermikebilly4@telegraf.by>
Reply-To: barrister_mikebilly@myway.com
Date: Sun, 25 May 2008 04:36:36 +0700
Subject: From The Desk Of Barrister Mike Billy


*From The Desk Of Barrister Mike Billy
Mike & Associate Chambers
25 Surang Road,
Bangkok Thailand
Email barrister_mikebilly@myway.com*
**
*Please kindly accept my apology for sending unsolicited mail to you I
believe you are a highly respected personality considering the fact that I
sourced your profile from a human resource profile database of your country.
*
**
*Well, I am Barrister Mike Billy, a Solicitor. I am the Personal Attorney to
Mr * *ANDREAS SCHRANNER* * Who Died With his Family in a Plane Crash in the
month of July 2000.
See the Weblink for details:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm
*
**
*Since then I have made several enquiries to locate any of my client's
relatives, this has also proved unsuccessful. After these several
unsuccessful attempts, I decided to trace his relatives over the Internet to
locate any member of his family but to no avail, hence, I contacted you to
assist in repatriating the money left behind by my client in a Bank in
bangkok thailand, Particularly, the Bank where the deceased deposited the
sum of million US$ 25,000,000.00 ( twenty five million united state dollars
only).*
**
*Consequently, this Bank issued me a notice to provide the Next of Kin to
claim the US$ 25,000,000.00 ( twenty five million united state dollars only
in their custody within the next twenty official working days. Since I have
been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over 7 years now, I seek
your consent to present you as the next of kin of the deceased to claim the
fund as the Next of Kin to him so that the fund will be Transfer to your
account by the Bank.*
**
*Upon receipt of the fund, I will come over to your country to meet with you
for the disbursement of the fund and then you and I will share the money in
this order: 60% will be for me, 40% will be for you. I have all the
necessary legal documents that can back our claim we will make with the
Bank.*
**
*All I require is your honest co-operation to enable us see this deal
through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate
arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. *
**
*kindly send me the following information
*
*1) Your full name
2) Address
3) Telephone number
4) Occupation
5) Age*
**
*upon receipt of this requested information, i will file an applicaton of
claim on your name to the Bank presenting you as the next of kin to the
deceased and as such the beneficiary of the fund.*
**
*You are needed as a next of kin to inherit the late deceased left fund. *
**
*For more information, please kindly contact me through my email
barrister_mikebilly@myway.com above to enables us discuss further.*
**
*Best regards .
Barrister Mike Billy ( Esq ) *

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam