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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:
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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "your urgent reply" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "Shehu Mahdi" <drshehumahdi16@gazeta.pl>
Reply-To: shehu1mahdi@yahoo.co.jp
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:48:40 +0300
Subject: STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL


STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

Date: 26th Jun, 2008

Dear Friend,


I am writing to seek your interest in a business transaction of an
over-invoiced contract sum which we deliberately inflated from its original
contract value of USD110million to approved USD175million, giving room for
an excess of USD$65million.


I am Dr. Shehu Mahdi, a director in the ministry of Health here in Nigeria.
The amount has received the official approval for payment from the ministry
of Finance. If you agree to work with me, then we shall discuss among other
things the procedure and the sharing modalities.


Moreover everything about this transaction will be done in a most civilized
and non-criminal way, which must be according to internationally acceptable
standards of practice and morals. In addition there is no risk of failure,
or legal, or security problems, or prosecutions etc, for any body in this
transaction both now and in the future. Therefore, need I say again that you
will indeed not regret your choice of doing this transaction with me at all?


I therefore very earnestly solicit your sincerest cooperation in this
project and I will be very glad to give you some specifics as you may demand
from me, as soon as you have confirmed your interest in this proposal.
Please give me your urgent reply in very strict confidence, by email first
and we will proceed from there.

Yours very Sincerely

Dr. Shehu Mahdi

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam