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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) 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:

• The following fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "first national bank" (not involved with lotteries)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "because it still remains the fastest medium of communication" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "i feel quite safe dealing with you in this important business" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "Phil Hodkinson" <phil_hodkinson005@telegraf.by>
Reply-To: phil_hodkinson201@myway.com
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2008 19:16:32 -0800
Subject: ATTENTION PLEASE


FROM:MR Phil Hodkinson
AUDITOR GENERAL
First National Bank
6th floor, 1 First Place
Cnr Simmonds & Pritchard Street
Johannesburg, Gauteng
South Africa

Attn:,

RE:TRANSFER OF USD168,559,000.00 MILLION TO YOUR ACCOUNT.

I feel quite safe dealing with you in this important business.Though, this
medium (Internet) has been greatly abused, I choose to reach you through it
because it still remains the fastest medium of communication. However, this
correspondence is private, and it should be treated in
strict confidence.

At first I will like to assure you that this transaction is 100% risk and
trouble free to both parties.

In order to transfer out USD168,559,000.00{ One hundred and sixty eight
million five hundred and fifty nine thousand U.S dollar Only } from our bank
here in South Africa. The fund for transfer is of clean origin. The owner of
the fund is a foreigner, a program leader who was
believed to acquire the fund through his secret Crude Oil deal with the
Former IRAQI government.The deceased died with all the members of his family
in an auto-accident in June 23, 1999 without a WILL. The amount involved is
USD168,559,000.00

I want to transfer this money into your account as the foreign beneficiary
of the fund. I know that this letter will come to you as a surprise as we
don't know ourselves before, BUT BE SURE THAT IT IS REAL AND A GENUINE
BUSINESS. I CONTACT YOU BELIEVING THAT YOU WILL NOT LET ME DOWN ONCE THE
FUND GOES INTO YOUR ACCOUNT.

Let me hear from you.

Regards,

MR Phil Hodkinson

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam