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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
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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "i will like you to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "urgent assistance" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "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)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "good fina" <ali_salam05@peru.com>
Reply-To: ali_salam0bf@hotmail.fr
Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2008 09:53:02 +0000
Subject: TREAT AS URGENT/ REPLY


From the Desk of Dr.Ali salam
Manager Bill and Exchange Dept
African Development Bank (ADB)
Ouagadougou Burkina Faso.

Dear Friend,

I know that this mail will come to you as a surprise. I am the bill and
Exchange manager in African Development Bank .I Hope that you will not
expose or betray this trust and confident that
i am about to Repose on you for the mutual benefit of our both families.

I need your urgent assistance in transferring the sum of $15.6 million
Immediately to your account. The money has been dormant for years in our
Bank here without any body coming for it.
I want to release the money to you as the nearest person to our deceased
customer(the owner Of the account) who died a long with his supposed next of
kin in an air Crash since July 2000.
I don't want the money to go into our Bank treasury as an abandoned fund.

So this is the reason why i contacted you, so that the bank can release the
money to you as the nearest person to the deceased customer.

Please i will like you to keep this proposal as a top secret and delete if
you are not interested.

Upon receipt of your reply, I will send you full details on how the
Business will be executed and also note that you will have 40% of the Above
mentioned sum. Acknowledge receipt of this message in acceptance of my
mutual business endeavour by furnishing me with the following:

**
*1. Your Full Names and Address.*
*2. Direct Telephone and Fax numbers*


Dr. Ali salam
African Development Bank,
Burkina Faso West Africa.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam