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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 phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
  • "there are practically no risks involved" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr.James Koffi" <james1koffi@gala.net>
Reply-To: james.koffi@hotmail.com
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2008 14:33:12 +0100
Subject: I NEED YOUR HELP


International Commercial Bank.
Kumasi Branch.

Attention: Dear friend,

My name is Mr. James Koffi. I am the regional manager of International
Commercial Bank. of Ghana Kumasi Branch in the Ashanti region of Ghana . I
got your contact when I was searching for an overseas partner to assist me
through banker's seminar held recently in London.

I have packaged a financial transaction that will benefit you and I, as the
regional manager of International Commercial Bank.the it is my duty to send
in a financial report to my head office in the capital city Accra at the
end of each business year. on the course of report and submission of the end
of the year (2006) financial activities of my branch to the head office. I
discovered that my branch in which I am the head and the manager made an
outstanding profit of US$4,720,000.00 (FOUR MILLION SEVEN HUNDRED AND TWENTY
THOUSAND UNITED STATE DOLLARS) which is unaccounted and undeclared and of
which the head office is not aware and will never be aware of.
I have placed this fund in what we call escrow call account without a
beneficiary. As the branch manager of this bank I cannot be directly
connected to this money, so my aim of contacting you is to assist me
receive this money in your bank account and get 30% of the total fund as
commission.

There are practically no risks involved, it will be a bank-to-bank transfer,
and all I need from you is to stand claim as the original depositor of these
fund who made the deposit with my branch so that my head office can order
the transfer to your designated bank account.

I will be very appreciative if you can return to me with urgent dispatch to
enable me advise you on the modalities.

I await in anticipation to receive your immediate response.

Regards,
James Koffi

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam