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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

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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)
  • "transaction is risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "there is no risk involved" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "foreign exchange" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• 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.
  • +2348024050122 (Nigeria, 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.
  • drdrvictor@sify.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Dr Victor onu" <onudrvictor@klikni.cz>
Reply-To: drdrvictor@sify.com
Date: Tue, 27 May 2008 03:43:30 -1200
Subject: Urgent Business Proposal''''''''Get Back To Me


Dear Sir,
I greet you in the name of GOD, the Beneficent, and the Merciful.
Before I introduce myself, I wish to inform you that this letter is not a
hoax mail and I urge you to treat it serious.
I want to transfer fund to overseas account the sum of ($30,000.000.00
USD)Thirty Million United States Dollars) from a Bank here in Nigeria West
Africa.
I want to ask you, If you are capable to quietly provide either an existing
bank account or to set up a new Bank account immediately to receive this
fund,even an empty account can serve to receive this fund,as long as you
will remain honest to me till the end for this important business,trusting
in you and believing in God that you will never let me down either now or in
future.
I am Dr Victor Onu,I WORK WITH FIDELITY BANK PLC During the course of our
auditing last week, I discovered a floating fund in an account opened in the
bank in 1997 and since 1999 till date, 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 beneficiary to the account hence the
money is floating and if I do not remit this fund out urgently it will be
forfeited for nothing. The owner of this account is Mr. Morris Thompson of
61, of Fairbanks, Alaska an American and a great industrialist,business
leader and largest private land owner resident of Fairbanks City Alaska
State who unfortunately lost his life in the plane crash of Alaska Airlines
Flight 261 which crashed, including his wife(Thelma Thompson)and only
daughter(Sheryl Thompson)leaving nobody to claim the fund.
No other person knows about this account or any thing concerning it, the
account has no other beneficiary and my investigation proved to me as well
that the account is a secret account. The total amount involve is Thirty
Million United States Dollars only [$30,000.000.00]and I wish to transfer
this fund into a safe foreigners account abroad.
But I don't know any foreigner; I am only contacting you as a foreigner
because this fund cannot be approved to a local person here, but to a
foreigner who has information about the account, which I shall give to you
upon your positive response.
I am revealing this to you with believe in God that you will never let me
down in this business,you are the first and the only person that I am
contacting for this business. So, please reply urgently so that I will
inform you the next step to take urgently.I need your strong assurance that
you will never let us down, me and a key bank official who is deeply
involved with me in this business.
I guarantee that this transaction will be executed under a legitimate
arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. The bank
official will destroy all documents of transaction immediately we receive
this money leaving no trace to any place.
I will use my position and influence to obtain all legal approvals for
onward transfer of this money to your account with appropriate clearance
from the relevant ministries and foreign exchange departments.At the
conclusion of this business, you will be given 40% of the total amount, 50%
will be for me, while 10% will be for expenses both parties might have
incurred during the process of transferring.
Furthermore, the transaction is Risk Free, there is no risk involved and the
utmost paramount of this transaction is Secret and Confidential due to my 15
years of meritious service with the Fidelity Bank Plc.Which I dont want to
jeopardize.Note that,all correspondence should be by phone and by e-mail,I
will be extremely happy if you can abide to my instructions, I believe the
sky shall be our limit and I am willing to invest in your area of
specialization at the end of this transaction.
Feel free to contact me directly via my email address:
drdrvictor@sify.comor telephone: 2348024050122

Thanks for your anticipated co-operation

Yours Sincerely,
Dr Victor Onu
Fidelity Bank Nigeria Plc
Email: drdrvictor@sify.com

You shall read more news about the crash on visiting this site;
http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/02/01/alaska.airlines.list

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam